Love Forgotten
by DelicateSoul
Summary: AU: What happens if Rose is the one bitten? How will Dimitri react: will he kill her, or find a way to bring his Roza back? RosexDimitri
1. Prologue: Lost Soul

_Love Forgotten_

By: DelicateSoul

**A/N: I do not own **_**Vampire Academy **_**whatsoever. **

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_Prologue: Lost Soul_

"Roza, are you okay?" Dimitri asked as we ran out. Rolling my eyes, I nodded.

"Come on. We're almost there," one of the other guardians said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small smile appear on Dimitri's face and I instantly knew why. When we were out of here and back to the academy, it was only a matter of weeks before we graduate and I get assigned to Lissa as her official guardian. We were also going to make our relationship known when I turn eighteen. Honestly, things have been going my way.

"Rose, don't lose your focus," my mother warned me and I rolled my eyes.

"Please, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked. But everything happened so suddenly. Seven strigoi popped out right before we escaped the cave. We all got our stakes ready and in position, but in front of my eyes I saw Guardian Alan get his neck snapped within an instant. Four strigoi went down, and we were about to make a run for it, but something threw me against the ground and I realized it was the blond strigoi from before.

"This is a pleasure to be fighting against the legendary Janine Hathaway's daughter," he hissed, licking his lips. I struggled against, but, GOD, he was so strong! I don't know what happened to my strength; I couldn't make him budge. The next thing I knew, his fangs sunk into my neck. My eyes widened as I felt the high that I haven't felt for such a long time. I couldn't speak. I faintly heard Dimitri's scream, calling out for me. But I couldn't respond and I barely saw all of them retreat, him struggling against my mom.

"You never expected it to be like this, did you, Rose?" the strigoi sneered. I glared at him with whatever strength I had left. It just clicked in my head as he was leaning towards my lips.

"No! You won't!" I screamed as the strigoi lurking nearby watched with interest and amusement. My arms did little effort and his lips finally captured mine, and eventually the blood went down my throat. The last thing I saw before passing out was a triumphant smirk and my body feeling hollow.

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**-Delicate**


	2. Promise To You

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_Promise To You_

"Let me back in there!" I shouted as I struggled against Janine Hathaway's strong grip. For a woman her size, she was as strong as a brick wall. I can see where Rose gets her strength from.

"Get a hold of yourself, Guardian Belikov!" she shouted at me as we reached the others under the trees. She released me and for the first time, something snapped inside of me.

"My student is in there, a cave full of strigoi! How can I get a hold of myself in this situation!?" I shouted at her, causing everyone around us to become silent. She glared at me with the full force of her eyes and I was almost tempted to step back.

"It isn't worth risking a number of guardians' lives," she said sternly.

"Even if she's your daughter?" I said through clenched teeth.

"No," she said and walked away, leaving me to handle the situation on my own. I stared back at the cave as the others ushered us back behind the safe wards of the academy. Everyone who came to the cave stared at me after my unexpected outburst. My reaction was irrational, but the girl I love is in the hands of a strigoi.

I stayed in the church in the back of the pew along with the others who came to mourn over the loss of the fellow guardians who died in the battle. The only thing I can mourn about is the missing presence of Rose. I should have stayed next to her; at least that way we could've both worked against one strigoi. That way she would still be here.

"Um, Guardian Belikov," a shaky voice said. My head turned to my left and I saw Lissa there with Christian Ozera.

"Do you know what happened to Rose? I-I heard that she died," she stuttered as tears fell out of her eyes. My hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Just _who _on earth came up with that idea?

"She's not dead," I said firmly, still holding onto the belief that she was still alive. Lissa looked at me with such hope and faith that I felt a pang of guilt in my chest; I had just slept with her best friend, not to mention her future guardian. I didn't deserve that kind of expression from her.

She left me with her hopes still high and left to the cafeteria with Christian. Some of the students followed her, and some of the others stayed behind. Eventually, I returned to my room and waited for news.

_I'll always protect you. _Yeah, some promise I had made to her. At first I thought I could save her from everything that's threatened to harm her in any way, shape, or form. But I couldn't protect her from the one thing I've taught her to kill. The one thing I, myself, have excelled in.

A knock on the door broke me out of my thoughts and when I opened it, Guardian Hathaway was there. She looked up at me with the same eyes from before.

"We're going back to the caves. You're more than welcomed to join us to search for any survivors," she said and walked away. That got me moving. Within a few minutes, we were outside of the safe grounds and saw the dead bodies of guardians being hauled off back towards the academy. A moroi girl went and threw up in the bushes nearby. Lissa stayed as close as she could to me and started crying. I went into the caves with three others and my stake in hand just in case of any danger.

"Find any survivors and bring them back outside," I ordered and they took off in all directions obediently. I ran from tunnel to tunnel hoping that there was any trace of Rose. But after an hour of searching, we were all ordered to head back. No one found anything. As we were leaving the cave, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I went to the shadowed part of the cave near the place where Rose was attacked and my breath got caught in my throat as I picked it up.

It was Rose's chotki.

As I headed back outside, the others, including Janine, stared at me, waiting for news. I shook my head and Janine's eyes went wide. Lissa fell to her knees, her whole figure shaking with grief. All I could do was hang my head in failure.

* * *

While everyone was asleep, I debated with myself whether or not I should call. It was better if I shouldn't. I picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Tasha," I said. She laughed.

"Dimka, what a surprise. What is it?" she asked.

"Look, I need to borrow some money," I admitted. I heard her mind trying to decipher what I meant.

"Are you leaving to go somewhere?" she asked.

"Somewhat."

"And you're not going to tell me," she stated.

"No," I answered. She sighed.

"Does this have to do anything with Rose?" she asked. I flinched. This was wrong of me to ask someone, who likes me, a favor when it's for another girl.

"Yes, this does," I said. I heard shuffling of papers and finally she got back on the line.

"Okay, I've got a bank account in Missoula. Just tell them your name and they'll know what to do right away," she said. A little part of me was relieved.

"Thank you so much, Tasha. I mean it."

"And, Dimka?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck."

A little silence fell between us.

"Thanks," I replied.

* * *

I went to Headmistress Kirova's office. She beckoned me to come inside and take a seat.

"What can I do for you, Guardian Belikov?" she asked. I took a deep breath.

"I'm quitting," I said. It took some time for the words to stick into her head. Her eyes widened.

"Q-quitting? Is there something wrong with this academy?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, this academy had more than what I had expected. But there's something I have to do," I explained. She bit her lower lip and sighed. She filled out some paperwork and gave it to me.

"I think I know why you're leaving. But you are always welcomed here, just so you know," she said. We both stood up and shook hands.

"Thank you," I said and turned to leave the room.

"And good luck on finding Hathaway. She was an excellent student," she called from behind.

"I know," I said and left. How ironic, I thought, to think that she had given her all just to try to expel her last fall when I'd retrieved her from Portland. I _know _she's an excellent student. No one had to tell me that.

Walking towards the gates, I saw Lissa sitting on a nearby rock, visibly shivering from the cold. She turned to look at me when I stepped on a few pebbles and stood up.

"I had a feeling you were going to leave, and I had this hunch, but…" she trailed off, unsure of how to ask.

"You want to know why I'm looking for Rose?" I asked, her name making my insides feel frozen. She nodded.

"I know you're her teacher, Guardian Belikov. But was there anything else?" she asked.

I stared at her with a straight face. "I loved her," I said, my voice barely audible. She stumbled back a few steps as she tried to regain her composure. I knew this was a lot to take in for her.

She swallowed. "And…and how did she-" she began.

"She felt the same," I answered quickly. A flood of emotions flashed across her face, the most prominent ones being betrayal, shock, and hurt, yet also sympathy.

"She should have told me," she whispered.

"We are both very sorry to have kept this from you, Princess. But there was no way we could let the others know," I said.

"Why not? I'm her best friend, and best friends tell each other everything!" she yelled.

"We're not moroi, like you and Christian Ozera. We don't have the freedom to love freely like you do," I said and she had a puzzling look, "Because we were supposed to be assigned to you. Guardians are supposed to protect the moroi at all cost, and us having feelings for each other would have put your life in danger. But it's not your fault; it's the law."

"You're not going to be my guardian, right?" she asked and I saw tears threatening to spill from her eyes. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "But they'll assign you guardians who can actually protect you."

"They're not you nor Rose. They won't know me like you two do!" she cried, her tears trailing down her porcelain face.

"I'm sorry," I said again, "However right now, Rose needs me." She glared at me.

"You're going to kill her, aren't you," she said, more of a statement than a question. She cut me off before I could answer. "I heard you two talking when we were shopping at Missoula. That if either one of you were to turn strigoi, you'd want to be killed," she said bitterly. Tears welded up in my eyes as I thought back to the time when I had first started falling for Rose.

"Princess, I need to go," I said and turned. She clung onto my sleeve.

"Don't leave me," she sobbed.

"Princess, you can't depend on me or Rose to help you out all the time. The only thing you can rely on us is to keep you safe. You're going to be one of the top royal moroi. You need to be able to fend for yourself. I can't do any more for you than Rose could, if she were here," I said. That left her in her thoughts as I bowed to her one last time and left the academy.

_Roza, I'm coming_, I thought while walking as I held onto the chotki. _And I'm going to free your soul; my promise to you._

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**-Delicate**


	3. The Hunt Begins

**You guys are so inspirational! :D **

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_The Hunt Begins_

I'd just left Missoula Bank with nearly a hundred thousand dollars in my pocket. How Tasha managed to earn that much money is a mystery to me. I managed to get a hotel room for a week and went to bed.

"_Hey, Belikov," Adrian said from behind a tree. I turned around and saw him with a hesitant look on his face. _

"_Can I help you, Mr. Ivashkov?" I asked with a slight bow. He sighed and pinched his nose bridge. _

"_Look behind you," he said reluctantly. I stared at him for a moment before turning my head slightly to the right. _

_Rose was standing there with her radiant smile. _

"_Rose?" I whispered. She laughed and ran into my arms. I buried my face in the crook of her neck as I tightened my grip around her waist. _

"_Dimitri," she said and I pulled back to look at her face. _

"_What is it?" I asked. Her smile faded._

"_My body's in a forest a few miles away from where you are," she said. I didn't say anything; I know what she meant. _

"_And when I find it…" I trailed off._

"_Kill me," she said, and for a moment it was as if she was giving me one of my previous lectures, "I don't care if I look the same or not. My body is wandering around soullessly killing people and hunting for moroi blood. Just kill what's left of me. Please."_

_I nodded. "I understand. And I will," he said. She grinned and reached up for a kiss. _

Waking up, I felt a new determination rise up within me. I grabbed my stake and my phone and headed out towards the forest. It almost reminded me of when Rose and I took a walk in the forest back at the academy before our fatal battle against the strigoi. Her words still rang in my head.

_I love you, and I don't want to keep pretending like I don't._

Just remembering what her voice sounded like made me smile involuntarily. I froze in my tracks when I saw a shadow dart through the trees around me.

"I know why you came here," a voice sneered from my right. I tightened my grip on the stake.

"You came here for your precious Rosemarie Hathaway," the voice said, emphasizing her name. I clenched my teeth. This had to be one of the strigoi who took her away from me.

"You're going to have a hard time capturing her," the voice said again, "Because you're training has made her an unstoppable weapon." He jumped out of the tree from behind me and I staked his heart in an instant, twisting it this way and that. He screamed in pure agony, just the way I wanted it to feel. Once he fell limp, I yanked the stake out and wiped the blood against his clothes.

"That's what you get for killing Rose," I hissed and continued along the trail. As I walked on a grassy trail, I noticed that the number of animals were beginning to reduce. I hid behind a tree as I heard hushed voices nearby.

"I don't understand. What went wrong?" a strigoi groaned. He threw aside what looked to be a rabbit. My eyes narrowed as I caught a glimpse of blond hair.

"She won't even attack humans. Seriously, what was the point of turning her into one of us?" the other growled in frustration, "What a waste of time." That was enough for me to give away my hiding spot.

"You say Rosemarie Hathaway is a waste of time?" I hissed, staking the strigoi closer to me. The blond strigoi grinned at me.

"Would you like to join your beloved? Be free from the duties of a dhampir? You know you want freedom, Belikov," he said. I staked his arm. His scream pierced through the air.

"If Rose was here, it would be worth the sacrifices," I said as I staked his other arm, ignoring his painful howlings.

"The duties of a dhampir are a part of my life. Rose _is_ my life," I said and staked his heart. He flashed one final grin.

"Be lovey dovey all you want, Belikov, but Rose won't remember you anymore," he whispered and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I pulled the stake out slowly.

"I know that," I mumbled. Turning, I was able to see a cabin a few miles away thanks to the sights of a dhampir. I knew killing her was going to be a hard choice, but I kept telling myself that she's waiting for me to set her free. It was sunset before I reached the door. Turning the knob, I saw a shadowed figure huddled in the corner.

"Didn't I say stay away from me?" the figure growled. I held the stake in position.

"Rose," I said. She turned her head slightly towards me and I saw the red in her eyes. Still, she looked as lovely as I had last seen her in reality.

"So, the famous Guardian Belikov has finally found his ex-student. What an honor to be hunted down by you," she hissed, standing up from her crouched position. I flinched slightly and she laughed. She eyed the stake and a smirk crossed her face.

"I'm doing both of us a favor," I whispered. She pretended to yawn.

"Please, stop acting like you're selfless. You just don't want to have to worry about me still wandering around after being turned. You want to move on with your life, but I'm stopping you," she said, venom dripping from every word.

I knew the Rose I knew was gone then. I held the stake over her heart, hesitating. Just then, a rustle of leaves caught her attention and she growled.

"Damn, of all times!" she groaned. She turned back to face me and gave me her trademark smile.

"Our fight will have to wait for another time, Guardian Belikov. Now, if you don't get your dhampir butt out of here, there'll be more than just little, old me to deal with," she said and literally threw me out the back door. I started running back towards the hotel, confusion lingering in every corner of my mind. Was Rose really gone? It sure hadn't seemed like it. It was as if she was angering me on purpose to kill her. Maybe, just maybe, she has some of her soul left within what's left of her sanity.

But there was one thing I knew for sure.

The hunt for her freedom has just begun. All I have to do is seek her out. However, something tells me it isn't going to be as easy as this time to track her down.

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**Two chapters in a single day! Whoo! **

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**-Delicate**


	4. A Sign Of Hope

**I apologize profusely, but the blame mainly goes to my AP classes…they're a pain in the butt…**

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_A Sign of Hope_

I leaned against the headboard of the bed with a sigh as I pinched my nose bridge. For once, I was actually happy that I ended up drifting off to sleep when my head the pillow.

"_Rose?" I called. I searched everywhere for her and she jumped on me from the back. _

"_Gotcha!" she said triumphantly. Laughing, I pried her off and hugged her. _

"_Rose, is there any part of you left in your body?" I asked. She pulled back and looked at me with a confused expression. She probably thought that once she turned strigoi, all of her soul left her body._

"_I'm pretty sure," she said. I contemplated it for a moment. If Rose is here in her soul form, then that must mean that her body is void of any emotions. But then why did the strigoi Rose save my life, knowing that I was there to kill her? She must've saw the confusion plastered onto my face. _

"_What's wrong? Still think I'm just an illusion?" she asked. _

_I shook my head. "No, of course not. It's just…I found your body," I stated and she beckoned me to continue, "And she - or you - saved me from being bombarded with oncoming strigoi." It was her turn to look confused. _

"_But…that…what…huh!?" she stuttered, "I mean, not that I'm not glad you're not dead or anything, but a strigoi saving a dhampir? I've never heard that happening before." I nodded in agreement. _

"_Maybe you're body is still able to figure out right from wrong," I suggested. _

_She heaved a deep sigh. "Well, maybe. But in any case, just hunt me down. I'm kinda tired of floating in thin air and waiting for you to fall into nappy land," she said. _

_I laughed. "This is one order I'll accept from you," I said and kissed her forehead. _

I waited in the bedroom until sunrise before leaving the hotel. At least this way Rose won't have any chance of escape if she evades me. As I saw the sun come up very slowly, I remembered that day at the ski resort when I found her at the roof after being humiliated by her mother. I knew then that Rose had loved the sun as I did, since we rarely ever get a chance to see it. But now what she loved the most would now befall harm upon her.

Reaching the cabin by noon, I kicked the door open with the stake in position until I saw the whole area had been deserted. On the floor I saw a torn piece of paper with Rose's handwritting.

_Stay away from me._

Searching throughout the cabin, I saw dead animals everywhere and no trace of any of the strigoi. I stepped out the back door and saw the faintest trail of blood leading deeper into the forest. Cautiously walking, the forest became darker and darker with each step. I managed to put myself in a position in the sun but out of the darkness.

"Belikov," a voice said. I got into position for any surprise attack.

"Who is it?" I asked, looking around. I saw red-rimmed eyes from the shadows and the figure laughed at me. Another strigoi.

"It seems as if you've lost all trace of Rosemarie," he said with a smirk. I gritted my teeth together and held back my anger from exploding.

"I figured that out a while ago," I hissed. I swore I heard a smile come onto his face.

"You know Rosemarie is one of the loveliest creatures I've ever seen, but her attitude is quite…repelling. Actually, the other day she bared her fangs at me when I tried to touch her hair. Of course, her actions gave her disciplinary punishments," he said as if rubbing it in my face. At this point, I wanted to go rip his throat out. Those dirty hands stained with Moroi blood trying to touch Rose. But I couldn't help smirking; Rose will always be Rose.

"So what's the whole point of your gloating, if there is anything to gloat about," I said. He threw a package at me. I opened it and saw a plane ticket. I looked at him questionably.

"I just sent her to Washington. If you leave now, you might be able to catch a glimpse of her," he said smugly. I raised an eyebrow.

"And if it's a trap?" I pressed. He laughed.

"You think low of us, Belikov. What's the fun of killing you ourselves? The fight between you and your lover would be more exciting; a fight to the death," he said and with a final laugh, he disappeared. I gripped the plane ticket and went back to the hotel to retrieve what little items I brought along with me. Making sure the chotki was safe in my pocket, I left towards the nearest airport, a place swarmed with guardians. What crossed my mind was how the strigoi ever managed to get past them.

As I sat in my seat, I stared out the window. The first time I met Rose, she was sitting at the window seat, that look of fierceness and determination of protecting the Princess evident on her face. Maybe that's when I started to be attracted to her. Or maybe when I saw what she and Lissa were doing in their apartment. The friendship Ivan and I had was nothing compared to that of the two girls. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because of their bond.

"We will be landing shortly. Please remain seated," the pilot's voice said through the P.A. system. I blinked twice, not knowing time had passed by so quickly. Once leaving the airport, I made another phonecall.

"Belikov?" a voice said on the other end of the line.

"Guardian Petrov," I greeted.

"This is unexpected after your resignation. Did you find Hathaway yet?" she asked. I mentally sighed. Kirova had probably announced the heroic reason on why I left the academy.

"No, but I'm almost close. Actually, I need a favor from you," I said, waving for a taxi. I heard her laugh.

"A request from Belikov. How rare. What is it?"

"I need you to bring Princess Vasilisa, Christian Ozera, and Eddie Castile by the academy's jet over to Washington," I said.

"All three of them? But why? Do you have any idea how much danger you'll expose Princess Vasilisa to?" she argued. I rolled my eyes.

"I realize the consequences, believe me. But if they're here, there is a possibility for a sign of hope for Rose," I said with a small smile.

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**-Delicate**


	5. Goodbye, Hello Again

**Be happy my legs are sore, not my hands. :D**

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_Goodbye, Hello Again_

Alberta just said she'd bring them to my location within an hour. I set off towards the nearby forest, knowing that in the daylight they'd find some shade from the trees. I turned around frequently, making sure that no human was following me in case of a surprise attack from a strigoi. This time, instead of a cabin, it was a house. I checked my watch; they had half an hour before arriving here.

Opening the door, I found dead bodies everywhere. I turned one of them over and saw the familiar red-rimmed eyes. The strigoi all had been murdered by someone. The answer came to me when I stepped out onto the front porch.

"Didn't I say to stay away?" a voice hissed from the shadows in the trees. I didn't have to see who it was.

"You should know by now I can't stay away from you," I said quietly. She growled and I held my stake in position.

"Do you really expect me to die?" she said with a laugh.

"Technically, Rose, you're already dead," I said, inching closer to her. I hoped the fight between us wouldn't last as long like the fake strigoi attack back at the academy did. She took a few steps forward and I could barely see her face.

"What are you standing there for, then? Come on and just try and use that flimsy piece of metal," she said. She looked like she wasn't even going to put up a fight, but I knew her better than that. Especially now that she's a strigoi, I assume her blows will be a few times harder than they were back at the practice room.

"Just one thing; why did you kill the strigoi back in there?" I asked, motioning back to the house.

"A single girl in a house full of men. What do you think they wanted to do?" she hissed, clearly pissed off. I winced slightly from the venom in her voice. Hearing that, I'd wanted to kill them off rather than her.

She seemed to have notice that she'd deviated from the main point of our meeting. "Anyways, let's get moving. I don't have all day, and I'm sure you don't want to face me plus other strigoi at sundown," she said, crossing her arms.

"Right," I said and inhaled. I had to do this. Leaping forward, I attempted to jab her through the heart, but she moved aside and grabbed the arm with the stake.

"Honestly, did you really think--agh!!" she screamed as the stake came in contact with her neck. Dropping my arm she knelt down, finally feeling pain for the first time after becoming strigoi. Her red eyes glared at me with such hatred.

She threw a punch at my face, but I raised my arms just in time to block off most of the impact, stumbling back a little. Grabbing me by the shirt, she flung me into the shadows. I managed to flip and land on my feet.

She laughed. "Seriously, if you weren't a guardian I would say you could've been a great acrobatic," she said, moving closer to me. I rolled my eyes before focusing on her next move. Swinging her leg at my left, I crashed into a tree, cracking the trunk in the process. She yawned and pinned me down, pushing on my right arm enough to make me realize it was broken.

"Enough, I'm bored already," she said and reached down towards my neck slowly. I focused my eyes on her face as I took her beautiful features one last time.

Then very softly, I whispered, "Roza." Time seemed to have stopped at that moment because I saw multiple emotions flash across her face as she froze in place. I pushed myself out from under her as she struggled to sit up.

She squinted at me. "Dimitri?" she whispered hoarsely. I nodded and she gritted her teeth to stay in control.

"Hurry up. I can't hold back anymore," she growled as her whole body shook. I nodded.

I plunged the stake through her heart with all the strength I had. She screamed in agony as she struggled to pull the stake out, in turn only causing more pain to herself. I pulled the stake out, hearing her screaming become less and less. Her eyes slowly began to droop and I saw that infamous Rose Hathaway smile.

"Thanks, comrade," she whispered and fell over, her eyes completely closed. With shaking hands, I grabbed her hand and kissed it as tears streamed down my face. It was so cold. I knew she was back to the place she was supposed to be. The place that she had escaped after the accident that started the bond between her and Lissa. But I couldn't let her go.

The leaves rustled as footsteps ran towards us. Turning my head slightly, I saw Alberta, Lissa, Christian, and Eddie, shock across their faces. Lissa instantly started crying when she dropped down by Rose's dead body. Christian bent down and rubbed her arms and Eddie just stood dumbfounded as he watched a second close friend of his dead in front of him.

"Princess," I whispered. She looked at me and the next words shocked her as much as it shocked me. "This is the only time I'll ask you to do this. Can you use your spirit on Rose?"

The words took some time to register into her brain, but finally they clicked and she nodded. Alberta glanced back and forth from Rose to me for a while and then she just realized what we were to each other. That we weren't just student and teacher. But she didn't say a word as Lissa put her hands on Rose's body. None of us could see what was going on, but the warmth in Rose's hand returned slowly.

"Belikov, is Rose…" she trailed off and I nodded. She breathed a sigh of relief and I'm sure I had the same look as she did. But before I could respond, Lissa passed out into Christian's arms with a smile on her face and Rose just began to breathe again, but still in critical condition.

"We have to go back to the academy," I said to Alberta. She nodded and beckoned all of us to follow her back to the jet. Christian scooped Lissa up into his arms and made a run for it through the trees' shadows as I carried Rose.

Once we were inside the jet and in the air, I looked over at Christian, who was holding Lissa protectively, and Eddie who just stared at Rose with a small smile. They both made eye contact with me and froze, obviously forgetting the fact that I was in the same vicinity as they were. I just smiled as a thank you and they nodded back with small smiles of their own.

Looking down at Rose's smiling face, I felt the ache in my chest go away. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was that Rose was alive and by my side.

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**-Delicate**


	6. Welcome Back

**Hey, guys! I'm going to start trying to update every weekend or so because I gotta keep my grades up. :D**

**Enjoy!**

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_Welcome Back_

By the time we had arrived at the academy, the students were still sleeping which gave us the upper hand of not starting a commotion as we rushed towards the clinic. Alberta shouted for instructions and Dr. Olendzki also began shouting out instructions to the other nurses in the area. Within a fraction of a second, they had Rose out of my arms and onto a bed, hooking wires everywhere on her as they wheeled her off to be treated immediately. As for us, we just sat around in the waiting room, Lissa slowly regaining consciousness.

"Hey, Belikov. You don't seem the least bit worried about Rose," Alberta noted, seeing that I wasn't even trembling like the other two students were.

I smiled slightly. "Because, no matter what hell she goes through, she's still strong. Nothing can stop her," I said and that was enough to satisfy her curiosity. Lucky for us, there were no signs of any students in the clinic to start a rumor.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you found her quickly. If she came back later, she would've torn the entire academy to pieces for missing graduation and the assigning of guardians," Alberta joked and I had to laugh.

The hall was quiet, only the sounds of footsteps and the ticking of the clock echoing through the area. Everyone was asleep in his chair. Of course they would be; this was normally their sleep time. Dr. Olendzki made her way towards us and I stood up immediately, Alberta groggily following.

She took off her surgeon mask and sighed a breath of relief. Or so I hoped. She gave a small smile and said, "Rose is back to normal, thankfully. But we found some of her ribs and her left arm broken, plus a slight damage to her left eye. Other than that, she's still Rosemarie Hathaway." We both nodded in thanks and she showed us to her room. Opening the door, Alberta went in first and smiled. I took that as a good sign and followed in after her, stopping when I saw Rose sleeping on the bed, an IV in her hand, her left arm in a cast, and her forehead bandaged all the way down enough to cover her left eye.

Alberta left the room to give us some privacy I assumed. Pulling up a chair next to her, I watched her steady breathing as her heart monitor kept its consistent tempo. I didn't budge from my position for a while. No one came in to check up on us. But after an hour or so had passed, Kirova came in and I stood up for her with a slight bow.

She smiled. "It's good to have you back Guardian Belikov. Rose, too," she said, patting Rose's shoulder. She glanced over at me before saying, "You will receive three molnija marks. It's been reported that you killed three strigoi along the way," she noted. I nodded. She hesitated. "I was thinking about four, however," she admitted.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?" I asked.

"Because, Rose-" she began.

"No. Three is the precise number," I said hastily. She nodded in agreement and left the room. I slumped down in the chair, lightly grabbing her right hand with my own. There was a moment of silence between us, until the door slammed open. Turning around in alarm, I came face to face with Jill, the moroi who'd praised Rose earlier when she was doing community service. She gasped when she saw Rose's condition and I motioned for her to stay silent.

"Whoa, so, like, she really is back!" she exclaimed in a whisper, "Like, did you hunt her down or anything because the rumor has it that she was a strigoi or something." That snapped my attention. I stared her down with the full force of my eyes, causing her to step back.

"Who said that?" I said, calmly, but deadly. She swallowed and stepped back and ran out of the room. I didn't have the energy - or time - to follow her. Looking at the clock, I was almost late to my first class: combat training.

When I'd stepped into the gym, all the novices stopped talking and stared.

Only one had the guts to say anything. "So, Guardian Belikov," a student began, "did you really hunt down your former student?" I sighed in exasperation.

"Later. For now, run a lap around the track and do fifty sit-ups and pushups," I ordered. When no one moved, probably because of their curiosity of my adventure, I glared at them. That got them moving out of the gym and onto the track. Meanwhile, Eddie and Lissa came up to me.

"How is Rose?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with worry.

"She's recovering right now. She'll be fine," I said and she smiled, probably glad to have her two original guardians back. I looked at her sympathetically; either way, I wasn't going to be her guardian. I made that decision for all three of us.

"C'mon, let's go see her," Eddie said, noticing the students finishing up their exercise, and led Lissa towards the clinic. I turned around and saw more than half of them already out of breath.

"Are you hurting?" I asked. They nodded at me.

"It's going to get worse," I said with a straight face, remembering saying something similar to Rose on our first day of training. They all groaned and kicked the ground.

Once every class went through my personal teachings, Stan caught me.

"I guess I should congratulate you for bring back Rose," he said, patting my back. I resisted flinching for once. This was something I wasn't even proud of; when I'd driven my stake through her heart, it was like I was killing a piece of myself.

"Thank you," I said regardless and went towards the clinic. Lissa and Eddie was approaching from the opposite direction, faces grim. When they looked up, they tried their best to put on a smile.

"What is it?" I asked. Eddie sighed.

"She hasn't woken up yet. Dr. Olendzki said it's not a coma either," he explained and Lissa nodded. They both walked past me and I continued on to Rose's room. Dr. Olendzki came out and greeted me with a smile.

"Guardian Belikov, she should wake up soon," she informed me and left. Walking in, I sat next to her again and took her hand. I kissed her fingers softly, her warm fingers. The fingers that always took action whenever necessary.

"Ugh, what a killer headache. What the? Where am -" a very familiar voice groaned. Gasping, I looked up to see Rose's right eye open and stare at me with shock.

"Rose?" I whispered, making sure this wasn't a dream.

"Wait, what killed you?" she asked, confused on the whole situation. I'm pretty sure I looked as confused as she was.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, supressing a grin. This was indeed the one and only Rose Hathaway.

"I know I'm dead. I saw you kill me with the stake. So why are you in front of me? Did a strigoi pop out of nowhere and attack you? I mean, I highly doubt it, though," she said. I blinked for a moment and laughed out loud, stunning her for a second. She narrowed her eyes at me and said, "What are you laughing for? What's so funny?"

"Rose, you're not dead," I said, "Because Lissa brought you back, again." That took some time to process in her mind, but finally she got it.

"So, I'm not dead," she said. I nodded.

She laughed her trademark laugh. The one I hadn't heard for a while. "Well, comrade, I guess I'm back," she said with her Hathaway bravado strong in her voice.

I chuckled despite myself. "Welcome back," I said. And I meant it.

* * *

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R**

**And NO this isn't the end. :D Trust me, I'm not even close to finishing, but I'll make sure this one doesn't end up with a gazillion chapters or something. **

**Happy Birthday to me! xD**

**-Delicate**


	7. I Just Know

**Haha, I'm starting research paper soon. Crud. XD**

**RPOV now that she's conscious. :D**

* * *

_I Just Know_

Dimitri didn't say much after that, but we both felt the strong connection between us. Our fingers laced together so smoothly, like they belonged together. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I'm pretty sure he was thinking along the same lines as I was.

"So, what's going on in the outside world?" I asked, trying to stimulate a topic we could chat about. It worked, sort of. He smiled.

"Well, for starters, everyone knows you're back from the hands of strigoi," he said lightheartedly. For a moment, his smile wavered out of place before he could get a grasp on his expression. Too late.

"There's more, isn't there," I pressed. He sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid my question.

"Nothing. Just don't worry too much on it. Focus on your recovery for now," he said, motioning to my arm. They gave me anesthetics to make sure I wasn't in a lot of pain, which I was thankful for. He left shortly after that to report to Kirova, promising me that he'd be back soon.

I got up and stretched, popping the limbs I haven't used for twenty-four hours. God, that felt good. I walked outside, making sure that the lady at the desk knew where I was going, and inhaled the fresh air. To think that I'd actually miss this place I'd once considered a hell hole.

Walking farther away from the clinic, I found myself in front of four students. Novices, to be exact. They all stared at me with a ghostly expression, like I was some zombie about to chomp their heads off.

"Oh my God," one of them breathed out. They took a few steps back, confusing me.

"What?" I asked, putting my hand in my pocket, "Is it about the bandage because if it is, I'll make sure it becomes a fashion trend among you four." I grinned, still glad I was able to crack my style of jokes. But apparently they didn't find it funny. Rather, they ran off towards the middle school building in a rush. All I could do was stare dumbfounded at their retreating figures.

"Rose, time for your meds!" one of the nurses called from the window. I walked back, shrugging off my encounter with the kids. Dimitri came in just as the nurse injected my IV with more pain killing liquids. I wondered what it'd feel like without the medication.

He took a seat next to me, like he's always been doing, and I saw the back of his neck bandaged.

"How many did you kill this time?" I asked curiously, but slightly jealous. There was no way I was ever going to catch up to him.

"Three," he said, "But you have killed far more than I did." I shot him a look and he laughed. "I'm not joking," he said.

"Just how many, exactly?" I asked. He thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure, but Kirova is planning to have your ceremony when you're released," he said with a shrug. That eased my mood a bit. I honestly didn't remember that much.

There was a knock on the door and Kirova came in. What perfect timing.

"Belikov, if I may," she said, nodding at the door. He bowed and left the room. I had to try so hard from rolling my eyes. He doesn't have to bow to everyone every time. She took his spot next to me and smiled, and I could tell she sort of meant it. _Sort of. _

"What? Am I still going to have probation or something?" I mumbled.

"No, not anymore. That is, unless you start another fight," she said in a warning tone, obviously shooting down some ideas that'd already popped into my head. She just had to kill my fun.

"And anything else?" I asked, feeling the effects of the drug coming on. I can't even imagine how Adrian can stand being drunk for almost twenty-four seven.

"Graduation is in two weeks. And, of course, Christian Ozera is still your charge in the meantime," she added, and I nodded to show her I got the message. She left and Dimitri came back in.

"She's still an old hag," I groaned. He gave me a stern look and, indeed, I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine, fine. She's a _nasty _old hag. Happy?" He shook his head and put on a smile.

"I guess you've forgotten something," he said. I stared at him for a moment, confused. What the hell was he talking about now?

"I forgot a lot of things, comrade," I reminded him.

He laughed and placed a small bag on my lap. "Even your own eighteenth birthday?" he mused. I blinked several times. Had I really forgotten?

"Thanks. Is it lip gloss again because I'm still the using the one you gave me a few months ago," I said, opening the bag with the hand that was currently available for movement. My fingers felt a solid box with a velvet covering, and I turned to look at him, my hand still in the bag. He motioned for me to take it out, which I did slowly. _Very_ slowly. He opened the box, revealing a white-gold band with no diamonds. He pulled it out of its place and slipped it on my index finger.

"This is a little piece of freedom that I can give you," he said, looking up at me with a hesitant expression. My mouth was hanging open and I immediately closed it and grabbed his hand.

I've never smiled as wide as I'm doing right now. "It's more than enough," I said, "And I would hug you, but this damn cast…" He laughed and wrapped his arms around my neck. We stayed in that position for a while, both of us remembering what it was like to be in each other's arms. He must've heard something because he pulled back quickly and sat back in his chair just as the door opened. Dr. Olendzki came in with a clipboard and examined my IV cord and all the plastic tubes they stuck all over me. I guess with all those monitors, they might as well be checking up on the pulse of my digestion rate as well.

"We'll unhook you in a few hours. And you can go back to your school life tomorrow," she said with a smile. I grinned and felt my eyes droop. She flicked the IV cord and said, "She should rest."

I faintly saw Dimitri nod. "I'll still be here, just in case she needs anything," he said and Dr. Olendzki looked fine with that. When she closed the door, I let out a sigh.

"You should go. What's the point of you staying here while I take a snooze?" I said groggily.

He stroked my hair. "I have plenty of time," he replied with a smile and with that I knocked out.

* * *

"Rose!" a voice cried when I was walking towards my first class. Turning around, I saw Lissa run over with Eddie and Christian. She slammed into me and I had to steady her.

"Hey, long time no see," I joked as she squeezed the life out of me. Eddie high-fived me and Christian just had a look of relief on his face. I patted Lissa's silky hair before she released me.

"I'm really glad you're back. We all really missed you," she said as tears leaked out of her eyes. I laughed and wiped them away.

"What? You thought I was gone for good? You should know I can't stay away from this place," I said with a laugh. Just then, the bell rang, meaning that if we didn't get to class soon, we're all screwed. I dragged Christian to his first period as Lissa and Eddie went to a different class.

The cafeteria was just the way it'd been the last time I was there. When I entered, all heads turned toward me and the yelling became whispers. This is pretty much like what had happened when I ran into the four novices yesterday.

"What's up with them?" I mumbled to Lissa. She shrugged, and she meant it. The rumor hadn't reached her yet, whatever it was.

As we ate, Jesse and Ralf approached our group, looking pretty smug. "Hey, Hathaway!" Ralf called and I turned around to glare at him.

"What?" I asked.

"I guess you became so obsessed with strigoi that it drove you nearly mental," he said, causing everyone to become as silent as death.

I narrowed my eyes. "What did you just say?" I growled through clenched teeth.

"The incident at Spokane wasn't enough for you, huh?" Ralf said with a smirk as I clenched my hands into fists, remembering a time I didn't want to remember. "You wanted more bloodlust that you yourself turned strigoi, didn't you? And you had Lissa come and save your precious soul from death," he said. Everyone's eyes widened as each one of them looked back from me to Lissa, the pieces in their heads clicking together.

I stood up and strided over there, fury burning in my eyes as I grabbed Ralf by the collar. "Say that again, you son of a bi-" I shouted.

"Oh, everyone, watch out! Rose is going to go strigoi on us! Someone grab a stake!" Ralf cried in mockery. I froze in my spot, letting my hand drop to my side. All the students held their breaths, waiting for me to explode. But the blow never came. Rather, Eddie came up from behind me and did the honor of punching Ralf square in the face, cracking his nose in the process. Blood spurted everywhere. _Blood_.

Turning, I ran as fast as I could out of the stuffy room and towards the forest. I ran till my legs could run no more. I collapsed on the ground, panting heavily as cold sweat formed on the back of my neck that sent chills down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories from the cave. But every imagine was so vivid. My struggle against the blond strigoi. The taste of strigoi blood.

I gritted my teeth together from letting out a sob and throwing up my lunch. The crunching of leaves caught my attention and I hastily wiped whatever tears leaked out.

"Rose? What're you doing here?" an all-too-familiar voice asked.

I turned around and smiled. "I just wanted to go out for a run. I hate cramped areas," I said. He regarded me cautiously, making sure I wasn't lying to him.

"And why don't I believe that?" he asked.

I threw my arms in the air. "No one believes anything I say, comrade," I said with a smirk. He laughed, making me feel relieved that he didn't ask any further.

"How do you always know where to find me? Did you put some sort of tracking device on my back or something when I was sleeping?" I said, jabbing my finger into his chest.

He smiled. "I can't really explain. I just know," he said, but, oh, there were a hell of a lot of things about me that he had no idea about.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**-Delicate**


	8. You and Me

**I'm still alive! HAH! Just sick.**

**So, I've decided, I'm going to make this story into RPOV and DPOV and you'll know whose perspective you're reading from. :D**

**Enjoy!**

**DPOV**

* * *

_You and Me_

Rose and I walked back to her dorm, giving the security guard there permission for her to remain in her room for the remainder of the day. We stopped at her room and she turned to face me, tilting her head up to look into my eyes. She had no idea that her brown eyes made me melt, especially now that they weren't red-rimmed with any traces of strigoi in them.

"Are we starting up our training sessions again? I mean, I'm sure there's a lot more things you've got to teach me before I officially become Lissa's guardian," she said.

Smiling, I swooped down and kissed her cheek. "Of course," I said and left her stunned, grinning to myself. On the way out, I saw Lissa talk to Christian, both of them leaning against the tree while holding hands. The other students just walked past them, knowing there's no point in stopping a relationship between two royal moroi. I stood in the shadows of the building, feeling slightly jealous over the fact that they can flaunt their relationship without a care in the world whereas Rose and I have to keep ours in secret from everyone else in order to save not only our reputation, but also Lissa's.

But then again, I thought, things in life for guardians are never fair. Walking away, I also saw students in little groups whispering among themselves. I shrugged it off and went to go on security duty.

"Belikov!" Alberta called as I walked around the elementary campus. I turned around and saw her run up to me.

"Guardian Petrov," I greeted with a slight nod.

She sighed and ran a hand through her short hair. "There's been a stupid rumor going around," she grumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"Another one?" I asked. She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but another guardian caught her attention and she left, leaving me on my own to figure this one out.

As I continued walking around the campus, I saw a group of kids playing in the sandbox. One of the little girls was wearing a black cape and one of the little boys had a stick in his hand. Probably dreaming about being a guardian, I thought.

I moved on, but I barely got past two steps when I heard the crowd shout out, "Kill the strigoi! Kill the strigoi!" in a chant-like way. Turning around, I saw the boy with the stick stab the girl in the same way I'd done with a stake. The girl, pretending, fell on her back in the sand, dead. The crowd cheered and started laughing. I smiled at their enthusiasm. I wondered how Rose was like when she had started out in this place as a toddler. She must have been a wild child from the start since I've heard that she drove all of her teachers crazy.

"Rose Hathaway has been conquered!" the little boy announced triumphantly and my smile faded away in an instant as I strode over towards the sandbox. The little kids gasped and made way for me to walk through. The little boy froze at my appearance as I bent down to his eye level.

"What did you say just now?" I asked as kindly as I could, but it came out in a harsh tone. He was scared senseless. The other children shook in fear.

"R-Rose Hathaway?" he stammered.

"After that," I said.

"Has been conquered?" he peeped and I saw him sweat nervously. Given a few more minutes, he might've fainted from shock.

"And why did you say that?" I asked.

He looked around for some help and the girl who'd acted as the strigoi - or as Rose - stood up and brushed herself off.

"We heard from a high school student, Guardian Belikov," she said in a small voice. I raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" I implored.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but he was with Jesse Zeklos when they stopped by here," she said and I was a bit amazed at how at ease she was compared to everyone else. She was almost like Rose. _Almost._

"Thank you. But from now on, there will be consequences if I ever catch you acting like this again," I said sternly, receiving nods from everyone, "And let me ask you this: Does Rose Hathaway look like a strigoi right now?" They shook their heads.

"Then does she need to be viewed as a strigoi?" They shook their heads again.

"Then is Rose a strigoi?" They shook their heads yet again.

"Will you think of Rose as a strigoi?" For the final time, they shook their head.

I stood back up to my original height and nodded at them, patting the little boy's head to calm him down. I just think it had the opposite effect because he just started trembling even more. Leaving them alone, I walked off back to the practice room. She was there, throwing rocks at the wall out of sheer boredom, dressed in grey sweats and a black tank top. She turned around when she heard the door creak open and stood up.

"What took you so long? I thought you were bailing out on me," she grumbled, crossing her arms. I smiled and sat down in a chair.

"Start running around the track. Sixteen laps," I said simply. She glared at me.

"Are we really going to start this exercise again?" she said skeptically, tying her shoelaces tightly.

I shrugged. "You haven't worked out ever since you came back," I pointed out, pulling out a novel from my pocket. She groaned and stomped out of the room. By the time I reached the fifth chapter, Rose came back in. Her face was a bit too flushed to pass for being hit by the wind during her run.

I stood up from where I sat and walked over towards her. She turned her body away from me and went to the dumbbells to work on her arms.

"Rose, is something wrong?" I asked.

"Nope. Nothing wrong with me," she said, her voice firm and confident as usual, "I just want to hurry up so we can actually start fighting." I had to laugh at that. She was always too eager to get in a good punch during training. She turned her head slightly to look at me, her hair sliding down the side of her face, and gave me a reassuring smile. It took all the willpower I had to not go over there and hold her in my arms. We promised each other that we couldn't do those things until graduation came. And I was going to keep it.

She dropped the dumbbell back into its place and swung her arms around, ready to fight. I took off my coat and tossed onto the chair, getting into position. She grinned and made a swing at my left, but I blocked it and flipped her on the floor. Strangely, I went down with her, seeing as she managed to get a grip onto my long sleeve. She kicked me square in the guts and we switched positions. She was tightening her grip on my arms when I flinched. She must've taken notice in an instant because she got off of me as I struggled to sit up, holding onto my right arm.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling up my sleeve. Her breath got caught in her throat. I followed her gaze and saw that my arm was purple and swollen.

"I must've forgotten that it was broken," I mumbled.

Rose's jaw dropped to the floor. Or close to it anyways. "You _forgot _it was broken!?" she shouted and pulled me up from the ground. I shrugged. Again, it was like we switched roles.

She dragged me towards Lissa and Christian, knowing their location from her bond with the Princess. Lissa glanced at the two of us, finding it funny that I was being dragged by my student.

"Liss, do me a favor, will you?" she asked, pointing at my arm. Her eyes widened with shock as she moved her hands onto my skin. Surely enough, the throbbing went away within a minute and she smiled at Rose.

"You're welcome," she said, laughing as Christian put an arm around her waist. Rose smiled and hugged her, sticking her tongue out at Christian in the process.

He, however, looked at her slightly concerned. "Rose," he began, catching her attention, "are you okay? I mean the rumor…" She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. I'm perfectly fine," she said, laughing, a little shocked at the words that came from his mouth. She turned to look at me, a sudden thought crossing her mind.

"By the way," she said, "just how did you break your arm?" There was a moment of silence between us. I was debating whether or not I should answer her truthfully, considering that she's enduring the horrid rumor. But the strong look in her eyes made me say, "It broke while we were fighting in Washington."

"Oh, then the strigoi must've been strong if he'd been able to break your arm," she said. I didn't answer her and something just clicked in her head. "Wait. 'We'? As in, you and me?" she clarified. I nodded. Suddenly she looked apologetic. Lissa patted her shoulder.

"It's okay. You couldn't control yourself," she said soothingly. Rose bit her lower lip and looked up at me. I gave her a smile of my own and she relaxed visibly.

"Well, in that case," she said, stretching her arms out, "your training really did leave some awesome feedback for you." We all had to laugh at that.

* * *

Three days passed, but the rumor was still as strong as it was when it'd started. I'd asked Rose a few times how she was dealing with it, assuming that she knew that I knew. She'd just shrugged nonchalantly and said that she didn't care. It was hard to tell, but I knew that she was struggling to keep her façade up during school hours.

As I was making my rounds around the campus, I saw a little crowd in the shadows of the trees. Curiosity got the better of me, so I went silently to see what was going on. I barely reached them when one of them spoke.

"It must've been nice for you, huh? Siding with the enemy. Becoming strigoi on your own will," a voice sneered. I knew they were talking to Rose. I continued walking at my slow pace.

"What the hell gave you that idea?" Rose said coldly.

"Guardian Belikov has been giving you one-on-one training lessons, so obviously you shouldn't have faltered against the strigoi in the cave," he replied, as if stating the obvious.

"Every Guardian isn't perfect! And neither are the novices!" she shouted in his face. I second that. At this point, I could tell her dark side was coming out.

"But you hesitated. You wanted to know what it'd be like to live as one of _them_," he spat, "To live the life of a strigoi. Drinking blood." He snapped his fingers and one of the bystanders brought a little cup of what looked to be blood. "Well," he said, "here you go, Rose. This is what you want, isn't it?" From where I was standing, Rose looked queasy. I broke through the crowd, shoving novices aside until I reached her. Grabbing her arm firmly, I turned to look at the troublemakers: Ralf and Jesse. They cowered in fear. I saw the plastic cup filled with blood and knocked it out of Ralf's hand. They let out a yelp and made a run for it. Everyone else just stared as I pulled Rose away from the crowd and back to the dorms.

Taking her to the security's desk, I said, "Rose Hathaway will be staying with me." He nodded, not even bothering to ask any questions. In any other situation, I'd have him tossed out on the spot.

We walked down the hall in silence. I glanced at her and said, "You don't have to handle this on your own." She didn't say anything after that. Maybe she thought she was a freak. She was right about one thing. Guardians and novices are indeed not perfect. We all have our faults. Even Rose, despite her confident nature.

When Rose shut the door behind her, I'd barely tossed my coat off onto my chair until I felt two arms wrap themselves around my waist.

"I'm sorry. Just this once," she whispered and sniffed. Getting the message, I pulled her from behind me and held her against my chest as we sat on the carpet floor. She released those tears that she'd been holding back and cried freely onto me.

I held her tightly and stroked her hair in an effort to soothe her. "Roza," I whispered in her ear, "You don't have to be strong all the time. You know I'm always here for you." Her grip on my shirt tightened, then loosened all completely; she was asleep. I placed her on the bed, pulling the covers over her, and sat in the rolling chair. There was a soft knock at the door and Alberta poked her head in. She saw Rose's tear-stained face and got the message, nodding to me in approval.

The next morning, I headed for Kirova's office. She looked pleased to see me, and I closed the door behind me to talk to her about my idea to help out Rose with her current situation.

By the time I got back to my room, Rose was up yawning and looked around the room, knowing that it wasn't hers. She saw me enter and I assumed she remembered what had happen the previous night.

"I'll, uh, get going," she mumbled, hopping out of bed and scurrying past me.

I turned around. "Get dressed in ten minutes and meet me by the gates," I ordered. She turned to look at me with one of her baffled expressions.

"By the gates? Are we going strigoi hunting?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Shaking my head, I said, "No."

She crossed her arms. "Then what on earth are we going to do outside of campus?" she demanded.

I shrugged. "I thought we could spend some time together, not just at training sessions, but also in public areas," I said. I could almost see her spirits raise immediately.

She paused for a minute. "Is anyone else going?" she asked.

I couldn't stop the smile from appearing on my face. "Just you and me," I replied.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Hm, tell me if you want:**

**-A looooong fanfic**

**Or**

**-An end to this story soon and a sequel.**

**:D**

**-Delicate**


	9. Forever

**Whoa, fast reviews. :D **

**1. So, the result from the vote was: TIED. Lol, I'm going to have to make this one a little longer than expected for those of you who wanted a long fanfic AND do a sequel. Everyone wins!**

**2. I've got an AP Bio test on Monday, so I'm probably not going to update till next weekend. Sorry! =X**

**Enjoy! By the way, there will be RPOV and DPOV in this chapter! :D**

* * *

_Forever_

I ran back to my room as fast as I could both because of my eagerness to go out with Dimitri, but also because he gave me a short time limit to get ready. I cursed him for the latter. Looking in the mirror, my eyes were bloodshot red from all the crying I did last night. After a quick shower and fixing my hair in the messy way Dimitri liked, I hastily changed into black jeans, a grey t-shirt, and black running shoes. Picking up my wallet, I speed-walked out of the room only to bump into Lissa. From the bond, I could feel guilt. The occurrence from last night must've reached her.

I put on a smile for her. "What's up?" I asked casually, but impatiently. I was _never _on time for anything with Dimitri.

"I just heard what Ralf and Jesse did to you and -" she broke off, looking at my outfit, "And where are you going?"

I sort of didn't want to tell her the truth. "I'm going out to take a breather," I replied with a small shrug. It was true for the most part.

She instantly caught on. "With Guardian Belikov?" she asked in a slightly bitter tone. She felt that I was abandoning her since we always went out together.

I ran a hand through my hair; this was so not the time. "Look, let's talk about it when I get back. I'm really late," I said, moving past her. She spun around and crossed her arms.

"You're leaving me like that? And with Belikov?" she said, emitting a little growl from her throat.

I turned around sharply and caught her glare with my own. "Hey, what's wrong with me going out with him? He's my mentor," I said, glancing at my watch. I was five minutes late; he was really going to chew me out this time.

"I know everything about it. He told me before he left to look for you. How you two are so in love with each other," she spat at me.

I could only cock an eyebrow at her. "And your point?" I asked, tapping my foot against the ground.

"My point? I just can't believe you didn't tell me about you and him! And I never would've thought it'd be someone who's seven years older than you. I expected a little better from you," she said in that disapproving tone of hers.

Something snapped inside of me. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to go out with anyone without your consent?" I asked sharply, "What about you and Christian? Do you have any idea how lucky you are? You can go out in public holding hands and do all that couple stuff and other people wouldn't care. Me? I'll never get that chance with Dimitri. With him, it'll be whispers and destroyed reputations: his and yours. Can you at least get that through your thick skull? Can you at least understand why I had to keep my relationship with him from you? From everyone else?" Leaving her stunned, I ran off towards the gates where Dimitri was leaning against the tree. He saw me approach him.

"You're late. _Again_," he noted, but stopped midway, "What's wrong?" I saw him looking at my face. Hesitantly, I reached up and felt the moisture sliding down my face. I wiped it away.

"It's nothing. C'mon. We don't have all day," I mumbled, heading out of the gates where the guardians stood watch. We got into a black M6, which was pretty impressive. Dimitri started the engine and we sped off just like that. Given another situation, say in the normal world, he would've most definitely gotten a ticket.

It was silent between us. "Did something happen?" he asked casually.

I leaned back into my seat. "No. Of course not," I replied simply.

He sighed and looked over at me. "Rose, just this once. Don't lie to me now," he said. I met his gaze. His eyes held his yearning for us to be honest to each other. He didn't want to keep things from me, and he certainly didn't want me to keep things from him. It's been a while since I've seen him silently beg for something.

I turned my head to look out the window as the trees began to reduce in numbers as we headed into the city. "I ran into Lissa," I began, and he motioned for me to continue, "and she doesn't like the fact that I'm going out with you. You could say I snapped a bit." That should be enough to satisfy him.

But it didn't. He used his right hand to grab my own while his left hand was on the steering wheel. "Roza, you have to know," he said, "You have to know that if you want to be with me, you'll meet a lot of rumors and horrible comments that could degrade your status in our world. It'll be ten times worse than what Lissa said to you. Knowing that, do you still want us to be together?"

That left me shocked for a minute. Was that what he was worrying about? That I was scared of endangering my reputation? My silence must've worried him because I felt his hand on mine slowly release its hold. I won't hurt him this time. So I grabbed it firmly with my own, startling him.

"If you thought that that was what I was worried about, do you think I'd be going out with you right now?" I asked with a grin. The look he gave me made me feel like a heroine of some sort.

He was right, though. The rumors in the Royal Court will be nothing like the ones I'd encountered here in the academy. Compared to those, the blood whore and strigoi rumors about me were minimal issues. It might even weaken my chances of staying as Lissa's guardian. But I'm not going to give Dimitri up. I'm not going to give up Lissa either. I made that decision a few days ago.

This time, I won't lose either of them.

* * *

**DPOV**

As we were approaching the Missoula Mall, I felt awkwardly nervous and excited at the same time. I mentally slapped myself; I was beginning to act like _I_ was seventeen. But come to think of it, I'd never actually gone out on a date, a real date. Rose should have some experience in that department, seeing that she's had many boys on her tail. Not to mention her two-year-long absence.

"Have you ever done something like this before?" she asked suddenly.

"This what?" I asked, parking the car in the shade.

As she took off her seatbelt, she kept her head down and answered, "Like gone on a date."

I smiled and got out of the car. "No. I'll bet you have, though," I said, locking the car. She came to my side and we found each other's hand, fingers lacing together perfectly. She bopped her head against my shoulder.

"What makes you say that?" she said with a laugh.

I didn't want to explain everything to her. Like how Jesse Zeklos seemed extremely close to her, or Mason Ashford for that matter. "I just thought because a lot of boys seem to follow you a lot," I said with a small shrug. But, of course, she could see through everything. She could see through me.

"Are you jealous?" she asked incredulously. I didn't answer her right away and she started laughing. I, on the other hand, found nothing particularly hilarious.

She'd calmed back down once we entered through the automatic doors and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. I looked down at her. "Don't worry. I'll never love anyone like I love you," she said.

"I feel the same way," I said, grinning. I bent down and gave her a small kiss on her soft lips. She gave me a small smile and led the way to the first stop: the cosmetic shop. Rose dragged me through the store, zooming from aisle to aisle until she found that lip gloss that she loved so much.

She must've seen my questioning expression because she said, "I just want to stock up so you don't always have to hear me complain about it."

I laughed. "I don't mind hearing you complain _too_ much," I pointed out, but she bought it anyways with her own money. Walking around from place to place, I noticed that a small group of boys was following us, going into the same stores as we did. Rose must've taken notice because she smirked at me. And I didn't like that smirk.

She tugged on my arm. "Come on. Trust me," she said and I reluctantly followed her. Somehow, we stumbled inside Victoria's Secret. The workers pointed at us and giggled. I just felt about dying when Rose picked out a skimpy-looking bra. But then I noticed that the boys went away. Her plan had worked somewhat to her amusement. She put the scandalous piece of garment back on the rack and pulled me out of that horrid place.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked with a wide grin.

I could only roll my eyes and say, "For the most part." She began her shopping spree by going from one clothing store to another. When she went into the fitting rooms, she disappeared for ten minutes, then reappeared to model her clothes for me. I had to admit, she looked beautiful and striking in all of her outfits. Seeing her with a smile and laughing at herself - and me - made coming out today all worth it.

We stopped by the food court, Rose munching away on her burger while I sipped on my water. My gaze wandered around and landed on a human couple near our table. The girl was sitting on the boy's lap as he fed her food. I turned back and saw Rose staring at them, too, and when she met my gaze, we both bursted out laughing.

Our humor died away when the same group of boys came over towards us. Rose must've noticed as well because she threw away the remainders of her lunch and stood up, ready to go. I was next to her in an instant, but by then they'd already surrounded us. I sighed. We shouldn't have sat in the far corner of the food court. Her grip on my hand tightened, and I could easily feel her urge to fight them.

"Hey, if you haven't noticed, we're alone," the boy in the center said, looking pretty smug. How I wanted to strangle him. Rose rolled her eyes.

"So?" she said sharply, pushing one of the other boys away, but he didn't budge.

"So? You'd rather hang out with _him,_" the leader spat, "than with us pretty boys?" He winked at her and I nearly snapped until Rose started laughing again.

"Pretty? I guess they've finally degraded the word in the dictionary if you define yourself as 'pretty.' Now if you'll excuse me," she said and tried pushing through again. The leader grabbed her wrist. I didn't step in. I knew Rose had everything under control. She wouldn't make a huge scene.

"Come on, babe. We should get to know each other," he cooed, leaning down to her face. She, on the other hand, looked disgusted and made a small nod at me. I looked at her questioningly again, not getting what she was signaling. She rolled her eyes and smashed the leader's nose with her head, breaking it in the process.

"You little bitch!" the other one shouted, coming from behind her. I grabbed his right upper arm and made him face me so that I was right in his face.

"What did you just call my girlfriend?" I hissed and he paled, turning deathly white. I launched him across the food court. The security officers were coming with their whistles, and with the way the gang was sprawled all over the court, they'd probably assume that we started the whole fight. I can't get Rose in trouble this time, so I grabbed her hand and ran at my speed. But she didn't have any trouble keeping up with me. This time I was dead wrong. Every fight she engages in, she just _has_ to make a scene.

We managed to hide in the corner of a telephone booth, the security officers running past us and out towards the exit. I turned to look at Rose, who was slightly panting, and realized how close we were. Our bodies were touching each other and our faces were barely one inch apart. She looked into my eyes and before I knew it, I bent down and closed the space between us. She responded to the kiss, adding to the intensity of it. Unfortunately, we were interrupted by my cell phone ringing in my pocket. She turned away, her face slightly red from embarrassment.

I flipped open the phone, slightly agitated. "Hello?" I answered.

It was Kirova. "Belikov, how late do you plan on staying out with Hathaway?" she asked curiously. I rolled my eyes; she was starting to become a pain. I can almost understand why Rose has such animosity towards her.

"We'll be back before her curfew," I responded and she seemed satisfied with it, probably glad that I'm not going to keep her hostage in a hotel room. I almost slammed the phone shut, surprising myself and Rose. She turned to look at me.

"Who was it?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Headmistress Kiro-" I began.

"Oh," she grumbled. I smiled and led her towards the exit, knowing it's going to be a long ride back to the academy.

"Oh, hey! You!" a female voice called. We both turned to our right and saw a jewelry store. The woman behind the counter waved at us and we walked inside.

She smiled and saw the ring on Rose's index finger, the one I bought. "So you gave it to her, eh? I was wondering when you would," she said, elbowing me in the ribs. A man came out from the engraving room and grinned at us.

"Do you know them?" Rose asked me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the man cut me off.

"This gentleman? Of course he does!" he said cheerfully, "He came a few weeks ago and placed an order to have two white-gold bands engraved with Russian writing. Lucky for him, I'm Russian myself." I smiled and gave him a slight nod, which he politely returned. The woman sighed happily and examined Rose from head to toe.

"She's absolutely gorgeous. I can understand why you fell for her," she said to me and I laughed.

"I was just lucky," I said with a smile and Rose elbowed my other ribs. I knew it was making her embarrassed since we've never let anyone know about us before.

We left the shop on a happy note and headed straight for the car. It was night, but the full moon was out. Rose paused before she opened her side and turned towards me.

"The man said two bands. Where's the other one?" she asked curiously. I reached into my shirt and pulled out the other ring inside my chain necklace. She took off hers and looked into it, using the moonlight as her light. Obviously she couldn't read any Russian at all.

"What does it say?" she asked, turning it upside down.

I smiled softly at her. "Forever," I said. She looked at me, shock plastered all over her face. I turned my ring and let her see the inside of it. "Together," I translated.

"I…" she stammered. She was at a loss for words. I knew she never expected this from me.

"I was going to ask you after graduation, but I guess you figured it out all too soon," I sighed, running a hand through my hair exasperated. Damn that salesman for ruining everything, I thought.

She gave me a quizzical look. "Ask me what?" she asked. She was completely clueless.

I sighed again. "I guess I'm going to do this the American way," I mumbled and grabbed both of her hands in mine. I heard her catch her breath.

"I know this isn't the most romantic place in the world, let alone Montana," I said hastily. She swallowed, unsure where this was going.

I cleared my throat before turning my gaze back at her. "Rosemarie Hathaway. We've known each other for half a year. In that period of time, we've both endured hardships, pain, loss, and tragedy. But in the end, I still love you, and I can't imagine myself with any other woman but yourself," I said and paused for a breath, "After you graduate from St. Vladimir's Academy, will you marry me?"

She just stared down at the ground, not uttering a single word. My words didn't seem to get through her head. After a few minutes, I squeezed her hand slightly and she jumped out of her thoughts.

"Rose, I'm not expecting an answer right now, but -" I began.

"Yes," she whispered. My heart began to race, but I needed to hear it again.

"What?" I breathed.

She looked up and met my eyes with one of her heartbreaking smiles. "Yes!" she said, laughing as she threw her arms around my neck. A blissful and warm feeling spread throughout my entire being as I wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my face in the crook of her neck.

We pulled apart moments later , but our arms were still wrapped around each other. I saw the love in her eyes, telling me that she loved me. I can't really express my own love for her verbally. There were no words to sum it up. So instead, I slowly bent down.

Before our lips touched, she whispered, "Together."

I smiled as she closed her eyes and whispered back, "Forever." And we shared a heaven-like kiss under the bright moonlight.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**I know the entire chapter was totally corny and cheesy. But it's the best I could do for the week throughout the multiple tests I've encountered. So bear with me readers!**

**And NO it's not over. Haha!**

**-Delicate**


	10. Graduation

**Yes, people, I am exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes opened, but I'm going to write!**

**And my sincerest apologies for literally killing Lissa's character and rushing the entire chapter. Like I said, I was having a hectic week. :D**

**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Or HAPPY S.A.D.! [Single's Appreciation Day]**

**I celebrate the latter. :D**

* * *

_Graduation_

I actually got Rose back a few minutes after curfew, but thankfully no one noticed. She gave me a small smile before heading to her room in the female dorms. Going over to the administration building, I went into Kirova's office.

She just gave me one of her friendly smiles and I nodded in return. "Is Rose doing fine now?" she asked.

"She's back to normal," I reported.

She waited for me to speak again. I think she knew what was going on in my mind, but then again, I might be paranoid. "And I have a request to ask of you," I said, and she beckoned for me to continue. "I'd like to be reassigned."

This sudden news seemed to throw her into shock. "Is there a particular reason why you don't want to protect the Dragomir Princess?" she said, leaning back in her chair.

I shook my head. "No, the princess is wonderful. But I have my reasons," I replied, hoping that she wouldn't ask me any further. If she found out why, she'd probably expel Rose in an instant instead of let her graduate properly.

Rather, she sighed and pulled out a form. "I understand. Who do you wish to have as your charge, then? Do you have anyone in mind?" she asked curiously.

I thought for a few seconds. If I guarded Zeklos, I'd probably end up beating him to a bloody pulp than protecting him. A name suddenly popped into my head.

"Christian Ozera," I said in an instant. She looked as if she'd die from a heart attack. But it made sense. No one in their right minds would choose to protect an Ozera, no matter how royal they are. Besides, he and Lissa are always together, meaning that I would be able to see Rose. It was selfish on my part, but I wasn't thinking rationally these days.

"Christian Ozera?" she repeated, earning a nod from me as a confirmation. "May I ask why?"

"I have a sure feeling that no guardian would want him as their charge. I know how low people think of him," I said, "And I can assure you that I will keep him safe from turning strigoi."

It must've persuaded her because she reluctantly scribbled down some notes and nodded. She gave me the questioning look.

"Does this have anything to do with Natasha Ozera?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the name. I could tell she was completely against the idea of having moroi fight alongside dhampirs against the strigoi. To her, it was complete and utter blasphemy.

I shook my head. "Of course not," I said with firmness in my voice. She relaxed again and motioned for me to leave, seeing as all the paper work had all been taken care of in an instant.

I was put on security duty, meaning I had to stand there outside in the cold making sure the strigoi and students weren't on campus grounds during their time of sleep. Leaning against the tree, I saw stars in the sky, twinkling their brilliant lights. One of the lights went on and I instantly saw Rose stick her head out the window, gazing at the sky. Her long, beautiful hair hung over her shoulders as she inhaled the night air.

In staring at Rose, I didn't realize a presence next to me.

"Belikov," Alberta said standing next to me. I gave a slight jump in surprise and hastily turned to look elsewhere. But she'd already caught me. "You can wait till she graduates. But for now, don't let her distract you from your duties," she said sternly, but I could detect the hint of a smile playing along her lips. She was teasing me, no doubt.

"Of course," I mumbled and walked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose give a little wave and I sent her a small smile of my own, motioning behind me to warn her about Alberta watching. She seemed to have gotten the message because she closed her window and turned off the light.

The next morning, I waited for her in the practice room, rereading one of my favorite western novels. And there she was, looking as if she'd sprinted the entire distance from her room to here. She grinned.

"What's on the schedule today?" she asked, starting her daily warm ups.

"Your usual sixteen laps around the track. Then combat practice," I stated with a small shrug. She groaned as she walked out the door, mumbling something about kicking my butt later for putting her through this hell. I smiled and continued reading.

"Hey, put that book down. It's combat time," Rose said, coming back in after fifteen minutes. I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Are you sure you ran sixteen laps?" I asked skeptically. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course I did. Do you think I'm lying?" she asked, crossing her arms. I shook my head and led her back out to the track.

Setting up the stopwatch, I said, "Sprint two laps. Go." And just like that, she darted off like a bullet. Looking at her, I saw that she was able to go twice her original speed, passing by me twice within two minutes.

She smiled as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Not so bad, huh?" she said, inhaling the fresh air.

I could only stare at her in shock. There was no way on this planet that she could have that much speed in her. At this rate, she could be as fast as the strigoi. _Strigoi_.

"It must be a side effect," I whispered, catching her attention.

Her head snapped up to look at me. "What?"

"When you were changed back from strigoi to dhampir, there must've been some strigoi traits lingering in your DNA," I said, reaching up to touch her face.

She flinched and took a step back from me. "There's no way. I feel like myself. There's nothing strigoi about me," she said, pretty sure of herself. But in her eyes, I could see my hypothesis working out in her head. She couldn't find an alternative excuse.

"Roza," I whispered, taking a step towards her, but she stepped back again in response, still shaking her head in disbelief. I knew more than anyone that she hated the strigoi with all of her guts. To have an ability of a strigoi is bound to make her hate herself. I could comprehend the look in her eyes as she looked down at her two hands in disgust.

"Come on. It's time for combat training," I said, walking back to the practice room. She silently followed, making no sound as her feet touched the ground. I shrugged off my coat and got on the mat, facing Rose.

"Rose," I said, making her lift her eyes at me, "Focus."

But I knew that she couldn't. And it showed in her movements, too. Every blow I received from her lacked its original strength and power. Every attack she endured was probably causing bruises to form. She threw a punch at my face, but stopped centimeters before coming in contact with my jaw, throwing herself on the floor engulfed by sobs. I've never seen her so emotionally unstable.

I bent down and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Rose," I said.

She shook her head at me. "I'm not like _them_," she said bitterly, "I'm not!" And she started pounding her fists against my chest, repeating 'I'm not' a few times.

"You're not, Rose. You're not," I whispered, stroking her long hair. After a few minutes, I got her to calm down and she stood up wobbly. Her face was pale and tear-stained, and I knew that if she went to class, no one would leave her alone.

I threw her on my back, causing her to gasp slightly. She pounded on my shoulder weakly. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, "What if people see us?"

I smiled. "Don't move and pretend to be asleep," I stated simply and proceeded towards her dorms. The dorm matron looked at me, then at Rose, and nodded, understanding the unspoken request from me. I opened Rose's door and set her on the bed. Standing up straight, I got to get a glimpse of what the inside of her room looked like. There were few pictures of her and Lissa when they'd run away from the academy, and a laptop. That was it.

"Not what you expected, huh?" she said, her voice hoarse as she pulled the covers over her body. "No girly magazines, no make-up, nothing."

I grinned and sat in the chair by the desk. "And I like it that way," I replied, planting a kiss on her forehead, glad that she was over the hysteria. She reached up and grabbed my hidden necklace, pulling out the ring dangling from it. Looking at it brought a soft grin to her face.

"I still can't believe it," she whispered, "I'm actually engaged." She looked up at me and smiled. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading onto my face.

"To think I'd come to America, only to find myself marrying an American girl," I joked lightheartedly.

She punched my arm with a playful glare. "Hey, I'm part Scottish and Turkish for your information, comrade," she corrected and I laughed. I caught the glimpse of the time on her digital clock and frowned. She knew it, too.

She pushed me. "Go. I don't think it's fair if I hog you all to myself all day," she said with a smile.

I nodded and kissed her cheek. "Get some sleep. And I'll let Christian know what's going on with you today," I said, and left. I walked outside, seeing the novices already in the gym.

I stood there in front of them, my arms crossed. "You all know how to begin your warm ups," I said. But to my amusement, none of them budged so much as an inch.

One of the novices raised his hand. "Guardian Belikov," he said, "why not give us a taste of how you teach Rose Hathaway?"

Little by little, they all started gaining confidence.

"Yeah," a girl called out, "It's not fair that she gets special treatment!"

I grinned and their smiles all froze in place. "Well, then. Since you desperately want to know how I train Rose, you'll get a full, hands-on experience," I said.

They all stared at me, still looking smug.

"Sixteen laps around the track. Run _hard_. Come back and lift those thirty-pound dumbbells just like you would in your cool-down exercises. After that, you'll fight one-on-one against me," I said and watched as their jaws dropped to the floor. A glare from me sent them scurrying out of the gym.

Naturally, they took twice as long as Rose to come back inside, panting and gasping for breath. Some of them fell on the floor, their legs refusing to move so much as an inch. I grinned and looked up from my book.

"It's not over yet. Get a move on," I said and they groaned, mumbling something about Rose being a masochist. At least now they would keep quiet about her. By the time class was over, all thirty students laid flat on their backs on the mat, each one of them beaten by me.

Christian and Lissa came in through the doors, looking amused at the condition all the novices were in. Judging by the look Lissa was giving me, I could tell that she refused to believe the fact that I was dating her best friend. Had she expected Rose to date someone like Castile?

Christian squeezed Lissa's hand in a warning gesture and turned to face me. "Where's Rose today?" he asked.

"She was feeling under the weather. I told her to rest," I simply stated. Christian just shrugged like it was no big deal, but Lissa looked as if she wanted to go see Rose. I left the vicinity as fast as I could, putting my coat back on and going up towards Rose's room. When I opened the door, she was sitting in her bed, reading one of my books that I'd left for her.

She groaned, not looking up. "I already told you my measurements! Go away!" she said, looking up sharply. "Oh," she mumbled, and I smiled.

"Measurements? For what?" I asked curiously, sitting where I'd sat earlier. She closed the book, probably finished with it, and stretched her arms above her head.

"One of the tailors came in and got my measurements for the stupid graduation gown," she said and crossed her arms. I laughed and shook my head.

"It can't be that bad," I reasoned, but she let out a humorless laugh of her own.

"It's dark red, comrade. But yeah, it's silky at least," she said, reaching for her toes.

I grinned. "The novices got a taste of what you do every morning with me," I said, knowing it'll bring her mood up. And it did.

She stopped whatever she was doing and stared at me, excitement in her eyes. "Did you really? How?" she asked, her curiosity increasing by the second.

I laughed. "Sixteen laps, the dumbbells, combat. What you find as weak, they found it as hell," I said, summing everything up. She grinned back at me as she got into a more comfortable position on her bed.

"Well, then. I'll bet they can't wait to train to be official guardians," she said with a smirk on her face. We both had to laugh at that. It was then that I knew I had gotten her back to her stable-self.

I decided it was time to drop the bomb.

"I already talked to Kirova," I said, looking into her eyes. They held warmth, knowledge beyond imaginable, and beauty.

She seemed mesmerized at first, but then shook out of her trance and sighed. "So what're you going to do now?" she asked.

I smiled. "I'm going to be guarding Christian Ozera," I said lightheartedly. She looked shocked at the fact that I would choose to protect an Ozera. Last time it was supposed to have been Tasha, and I'm pretty sure that's what worried her.

"I guess that's reasonable," she mumbled, leaning against her headboard. I reached out and stroked her soft cheek with the back of my hand.

"It's better for the both of us; Lissa spends most of her time around Christian anyways, so we'd hardly be apart," I said and that brought one of her many heartbreaking smiles onto her face.

"Comrade, you really do think things through," she said with a laugh.

I grimaced. "I can't say the same for you," I said honestly and she threw her pillow at me. I threw it right back, seeing the grin plastered onto her face. She looked into my eyes again intensely. I knew something was on her mind this entire time.

"What is it?" I asked cautiously, not sure where this conversation would go.

"When are we going to tell everyone?" she whispered, dropping her gaze down to her blanket. Even though I knew she loved me, she was still a little scared of what the aftermath would be.

"I was thinking at graduation," I said, and she looked at me questioningly. "It's easier since by then they'll officially name you as Lissa's guardian. If they find out after the entire ceremony, they can't change anything." She seemed to get the idea as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

"Graduation?" she asked for a confirmation.

I nodded. "Graduation," I said, smiling.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**I'll probably be able to get another chapter up on Monday, since I've got no school! Whoot whoot! Haha! :D**

**-Delicate**


	11. Scared Stiff

**Wah! I have a bio test this Thursday! Give me a break! Lol. For all of you underclassmen in high school or lower, if you love rigorous studying and allnighters, then please do take AP Biology.**

**That being said, thanks for all the reviews! :D**

**And I wish Richelle Mead would post up the summary for **_**Blood Promise**_** soon. I'm going paranoid myself just trying to figure out what's going to happen. XD**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Scared Stiff_

Rose and I stared at each other at ease with how everything was turning out. She played with the ring I'd given her. I bit my lip slightly before telling her what I partially wanted.

"Rose," I said, grabbing her attention, "After you graduate, I'm going to go visit my mother and sisters in Siberia."

She couldn't stop the disappointed look from appearing on her face, but then she said the one thing I'd hoped she would say.

"Can I go, too? I mean, I really want to meet your mom," she said eagerly. I laughed and nodded and held her hand again.

"We can go together as our honeymoon," I said sheepishly. Relationship is one of the few things I have no experience in. I only hope that Rose could keep a little of her scarce amount of patience for me.

But she didn't seem bothered by the idea. Her eyes lit up. "I'd love that," she said, "But where are we going to get married?"

I took a moment to think in silence. Because we had both decided that we only wanted the people who're close to us to attend, it shouldn't be so big of a place like a cathedral. It should be at the place where we fell for each other. Here.

"How about at the church across the campus?" I suggested. She froze for a minute and then her eyes lit up. From the way she smiled, I could tell that she had been thinking along the same lines as I had.

"Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?" she asked with a smirk. It took me only a few seconds to realize that she hadn't.

"Never," I said with a laugh. She grinned and pecked me on the cheek. The door opened and Rose immediately pulled back into her original position on her bed. The woman who came through the door didn't shock her a bit. It was none other than Janine Hathaway. She raised a curious eyebrow in my direction and Rose caught sight of it.

"He's consoling me," she explained tersely, not feeling the need to give her any extra explanation. From the looks on her mother's face, Janine was drained of all energy but relieved to see Rose alive and well. Maybe now Rose will be able to lighten up to her and actually start up a healthy relationship.

"Glad that you're well again, Rose," I said formally and left the room with a subtle smile. She gave me a nod and I closed the door behind me, walking off to my own room. There was no security duty today.

* * *

For the remainder of the week, I barely had any time to see Rose, seeing as they all rehearsed for graduation, walking up and down the flat stage many times. By the end of each day, every single one of them was complaining about the boring procedure. Of course, Kirova had to lecture them on it, too, saying how the best of guardians are the most patient ones. I had to bite my tongue from laughing, knowing how absurd it was. Rose had not even an ounce of patience within her, but she still has the best qualities and skills of the finest guardians alive.

I also noticed that during this time, Lissa and Rose still hadn't found a way to talk to each other. I knew the princess was to reconcile with her, but I wasn't so sure about Rose, given her temper and stubbornness. Another reason why I couldn't see much of Rose, her mother was watching her like a hawk, making sure nothing else happened to her to prevent her from being taken away again, or maybe because she just wants her to graduate without getting into trouble. From the looks on Rose's face, nearly everyone knew that she was getting fed up with it.

"So what, Mom? Are you going to be like this when I'm guarding Lissa?" she said, rolling her eyes as she walked in the hallway. Her mother just glared at her and continued matching her pace without a single word. That confirmed my theory; Janine Hathaway was, for sure, an overprotecting mother.

The evening before graduation, the school hosted the last dance for the graduating class. To simply put it, it was like a high school prom. Of course, I was put on duty. From where I stood, I saw many moroi royals enter, their appearances too heavily lavished with make up and jewelry. The very few dhampir girls wore similar dresses to those of the moroi girls. I could hardly tell the difference between who was moroi and who was dhampir. And then she came in, dressed in a black, shimmering dress with spaghetti straps and her hair in a messy bun. All eyes turned to look at the stunning beauty, most of them filled with lust than admiration. How I wanted to tear their eyes out. She turned her head and saw Lissa staring at her, biting her lower lip.

"Doesn't she look ravishing?" Alberta said with a chuckle next to me. I suppressed a grin and gave a dry laugh.

"Are you pushing me to my limits, Guardian Petrov?" I asked. She just laughed and shook her head, grinning at me.

"No. Of course not," she said with a sly smile before returning to her original position, scolding two moroi students who were grinding against each other. I turned away, focusing on what was going on between Lissa and Rose. From Lissa's hesitating gestures and Rose's soft expression, I could tell things had worked out between them, especially when Lissa hugged Rose.

After a few hours of a variety of songs, my shift was over and I left the chaotic room with its blasting music still ringing in my ears. I inhaled the night's air until I heard the door creak open from behind me. Turning, I saw Rose slipping out of the room; she must've followed me. This sort of reminded me when I'd found her on the balcony at the ski resort.

I smiled. "Something wrong, Rose?" I asked.

She shook her head and walked over towards me. "Does every time I see you imply that something's always wrong?" she said sarcastically and I laughed.

"Most of the time," I joked and she smacked my arm. "Besides, what did you come out here for? Don't you want to spend your last moments here with everyone else?" I asked, motioning towards the auditorium.

She shrugged. "I just-" she began, but a slow song came on.

_Would you dance, if I asked you to dance._

I looked at her and offered her my hand, which she took with a smile. Placing my right hand on her hip and her left arm on my shoulder, we swayed to the rhythm of the song, lost in each other's eyes.

_Would you run, and never look back?_

_Would you cry, if you saw me crying?_

_Would you save my soul, tonight?_

Rose laughed and said, "You did." I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers, feeling the warmth spread throughout my nearly-frozen body. I spun her around and brought her back to my arms. I tuned out the music and let my body do the dancing on its own.

"Do you like the dress?" she asked innocently and I laughed with dry humor.

"Don't tempt me, Roza," I said heavily, replaying the time when I had nearly torn off that seductive, black dress of hers under Victor Dashkov's spell.

She smirked at me. "I'm not," she said matter-of-factly as we fluidly moved into the final movement, pausing there for a few seconds, "But I hope you keep that control on for a little longer. We've got witnesses." And just like that, we heard a silent clapping from the door and saw Lissa, Christian, and Eddie.

I released her, telling her I would see her at graduation the next morning, and walked off to my room. Before I was out of earshot, I heard Lissa say, "Spill it."

Rose just answered smugly, "Not a chance." I smiled and went into the guardians' dormitory. Tomorrow was going to end joyfully, or it was going to end in shreds.

* * *

The next morning, I watched as each student received his or her graduation diploma and each dhampir receive his or her promise mark. I couldn't stop the smile from coming onto my face when Rose held the scroll in her hand and get her mark. After the graduating class had all received their proof of finishing their education from this academy, Kirova stepped up to the pedestal. All eyes were on her. As if they had a choice.

"Now, I will announce the guardians assigned to each moroi. Starting off with Princess Vasilisa Dragomir. She will receive Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway and Guardian Eddie Castile," she announced. Many of the novices cheered as the two dhampirs took their new spots next to Lissa, who grinned at them with happiness.

"Next, Christian Ozera," Kirova said, causing everyone to hold his or her breath, "He will receive Guardian Alberta Petrov and Guardian Dimitri Belikov." Everyone stared speechlessly as we took our spots on either side of Christian. He grinned at the both of us, then at Lissa. Rose gave a soft smile at me, which I gladly returned. We just stared at each other, not focusing on the other announcements from Kirova, despite the fact that we stood near the speaker system.

The headmistress cleared her throat and nodded at me. "And now, from our own Guardian Belikov with a few words to say," she said and I saw Rose hold her breath slightly as I made my way up to the stage.

I took a deep breath, keeping my hands at my sides. "St. Vladimir's Academy has been one of the very few places where the atmosphere among the students is very buoyant. Being trained in Siberia, I never knew what it was like to live as a normal student. But here, everyone knows each other and can practically call each other brothers and sisters," I said, noticing how Rose rolled her eyes. "The staff here is excellent. The training here is much more beneficial to the students than where I was educated. However, I could only say that the one of the very few things I appreciate about this academy, is that I met the other half of me. My soul mate, if you will. And I'm fortunate that she has agreed to marry me. Thank you." I stared at Rose with tenderness in my eyes as she returned the look. The audience didn't have to think so hard as to whom I was talking about. Many mouths opened and jaws dropped.

I walked down the stairs as the crowd applauded wildly. Alberta punched my arm.

"How does it feel, Belikov, to get it off your chest?" she asked with a laugh.

I laughed nervously. "I'm still waiting for the aftershock," I replied meekly. Rose came by my side as everyone was dismissed.

She smiled, her cheeks slightly red from embarrassment. "I'm glad nothing happened to you when you were up there. My mom didn't even start a scene in front of everyone," she said with a laugh. I laughed, feeling jittery. I felt a strange, negative aura floating about the area. I didn't have to know where it came from.

"Belikov!" Janine Hathaway shouted, marching over towards us.

"You spoke too soon, Rose," I mumbled as she approached us. Janine stopped directly in front of my face and glared at me.

"Practice room. Now," she demanded and took off on her heels. Rose started to follow after her, but I stopped her, shaking my head. Swallowing, I made my way to what seemed to be my personal hell. Janine stood there at the center of the mat and I walked until I was a few feet away from her.

"So, you've fallen in love with my daughter," she said, trying to hone down her temper. But to me, it seemed as if she was on the verge of snapping. Like mother like daughter, I thought with a mental sigh.

"Yes, I have," I replied. I was wondering when she'd start sending her blows.

"So much that you'd want to even _marry_ her," she said.

I didn't like the way she'd emphasized that word, but nonetheless I said, "Yes."

She took a few steps to the left and stopped, whipping her head at me. "Tell me, Belikov. Just how much do you love her, if you could even call it love," she said bitterly.

I stood there silent, staring into her murderous-looking eyes. "Guardian Janine Hathaway, I would rather fight single-handedly against a thousand strigoi than be set apart from your daughter, Rose Hathaway," I said with firmness in my voice. She seemed to look impressed.

"Then let me ask you this, Belikov. Did you think about what would happen when I hear about this?" she asked.

I swallowed hard. "I thought of a few painful things that could happen, but yes. I did," I said, my eyes focused on her cold glare. And just like that, within a fraction of a second, she had ran over and threw me across the room. As a knee-jerk reaction, I flipped in the air and landed with ease.

She smirked, and it looked a lot like Rose's. "Well then, Belikov. In that case," she said walking to the door, "Good luck handling Rose for the rest of your life." She disappeared and I finally felt my knees give out as I sank down to the floor, heaving a sigh of relief as my muscles relaxed from their earlier tension. A few seconds later, Rose came in through the door and knelt down in front of me with a worried look.

"Did she hurt you?" she asked, pushing away some loose strands of my hair away from my face.

I shook my head. "Surprisingly, no, she didn't," I said with a laugh as I hugged her to me.

She tightened her grip around my neck and I could feel a grin coming on her face. "Were you nervous when you were talking to my mom?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and became honest with her. "No, Roza. I was scared stiff," I admitted and she started laughing, both of us finally feeling the freedom we had longed for.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**I repeat, NO, this isn't the end! Trust me, I'm far from done. :D**

**And while you're waiting for the next chapter, go check out my other fanfic I'd just started: **_**Under The Stars**_**. I hope it's not lame for some of you, but I've gotten pretty wary of the different ways **_**Blood Promise**_** is going to turn out. I just wanted to deviate away from that. :D**

**-Delicate**


	12. Rose Belikov

**This week has been the craziest week ever. :D**

**I got sick, haha! But I'm back and filled with ideas for the next few chapters. Yay!**

**And I curse fanfiction for shutting down the log-in link…It drove me near mental for two days!!!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Rose Belikov_

We left the practice room and ran into Lissa and Christian, who were holding hands as usual. Christian gave Rose a smug smirk as if he knew what was coming while Lissa just gave us a small smile. I think I can safely assume that she accepted our relationship finally, including the marriage. Rose, standing next to me, rolled her eyes and gave Lissa a smirk herself.

"Don't worry, Liss. You'll get your chance when Christian here gets the guts to propose to you," she said, looping her arm through mine.

Christian turned pink and coughed before turning to look up at me. "I hope you'll guard me well," he said with a grin, a poor attempt at trying to switch the conversation.

I bowed as a knee-jerk reaction. "I promise to keep you safe," I said with a tiny smile of my own. He shrugged and wrapped his arm around Lissa's waist, making her snuggle into his shoulder.

Turning to look at Rose, I saw that she was as happy as I was. Looking at the couple in front of her cuddling up to each other didn't bother her in the slightest anymore. And I was glad that she held no more animosity towards her best friend now that we had as much freedom as they had to love each other freely, excluding certain limitations that we were very well aware of.

"Belikov! Hathaway!" a shrill voice shouted across the field. I sighed and Rose groaned at the same time. This wasn't going to scare me as much as my confrontation with Janine. Now that Rose was out of the academy, the headmistress had no control over her future. Rose, however, seemed to think differently.

"That old grandma doesn't know when to leave me alone," she growled as we turned to face an angry Kirova. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You're not alone this time," I whispered as the headmistress stopped in front of us abruptly, waving a finger back and forth from me to Rose. Her face was so red, I would've thought she was suffocating in any other situation.

"Both of you, in my office, now!" she shouted, turning on her heels, and walked away. We slowly followed her, Lissa and Christian snickering behind us.

Before we knew it, we sat in the two chairs in front of her desk, putting us at her eye level. She put on her glasses and slammed down a stack of papers on her desk.

"Belikov, do you have any idea on what you're doing? Being married to a former student of the academy was something I didn't expect from you," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. From next to me, I heard a slight crack and knew that Rose's grip on the armrest was tightening to the extreme. Given a few more minutes and the chair would've ceased to exist.

"I graduated already. You don't have any authority over me," she growled. Kirova glared at her from the corner of her eye and stood up.

"Yes, you did. But as long as you're on school grounds, I do have authority over everyone, including you," she said. Rose crossed her arms with a disgusted look.

"Pardon me if I'm wrong, but Rose is eighteen and not a minor anymore. And nothing in the rules state anything against two people having feelings for each other," I said with the tiniest hint of sarcasm at the end. Luckily, she didn't take notice; she was busy steaming from all the rage she was trying to contain.

Then, she just exploded.

"Rules!? Do you think I care about the rules right now, Guardian Belikov!? The fact that you and Miss Hathaway have been flaunting your relationship all this time will greatly endanger everyone's reputation!" she shouted, and I'm pretty sure that all the guardians walking down the halls could hear every word being said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but Rose, as always, beat me to it. She stood up violently.

"Flaunting? Did you say 'flaunting'? We had never done anything physical in this academy! No one ever figured it out!" she shouted right back, "And reputations are reputations! Why do you think we've been silent this entire time!?" She was coming very close to snapping off Kirova's neck. I grabbed her wrist firmly and pulled her back down.

"I don't know what you were thinking either, Miss Hathaway," Kirova hissed.

"She's a guardian now," I corrected firmly. She turned her head to me and glared before looking at Rose again.

"Having a hidden affair with a hired guardian on campus, let alone your _mentor_! Have you any idea how ridiculous this is!? I should have just sent you off to be a blood whore when I'd had the chance six months ago if I'd have know you'd do something like this!" she shouted.

It was my turn to snap and I jerked out of my seat and into Kirova's face. "Don't you _ever_ put Rose in the same sentence as blood whores! If that's true, then you should consider the majority of the Moroi girls as blood whores, if you even know what that term actually means, _Headmistress_," I said with an acidic tone I never thought I'd be able to conjure up. Kirova's face went pale white from my outburst, obviously this being the first time a guardian has ever stood up against her. Exhaling, I sat back down, a little embarrassed at having lost my temper like that. However, the look that Rose gave me made that feeling insignificant.

Kirova turned in her chair, her back facing towards us. "You may leave. That is all," she said, her voice shaking slightly. Eagerly, we stood up and left the room as quickly as possible.

I sighed and turned to look at her with a small smile. "Are you okay, Rose?" I asked. She just shrugged with a smile.

"I didn't know you had the guts to yell at Kirova," she said with a smirk, "Have I given you that much influence?"

I laughed and shook my head. "She had it coming to her, anyways," I replied. She grinned, our agreement easing her dark mood.

As we walked through the halls, we heard a lot of comments being thrown at us. Avoiding them was inevitable, but nonetheless it was still annoying.

"Can you believe what happened between Rose and Guardian Belikov?"

"No way!"

"What a disgrace. A waste of talent."

I almost went over to the student who said the last one had it not been for Rose grabbing my hand tightly in hers, shaking her head slightly as we continued down the hallway that seemed to take forever to get to the end. But they didn't stop.

"Hey, Rose! I bet you can't wait for your wedding night!" a Moroi girl said, sticking her hip out to one side. The girls around her giggled, making me want to go over there and strangle all of them.

But instead, Rose just smirked and said, "What's the matter? Jealous?" The girl turned red and her group shut up. They all knew it was pointless to mess with Rose when she has those intelligent comebacks. Well, most of the time intelligent.

Going to more enlightening matters, everything was set the way we had planned. I'd gotten permission from Father Andrew to use the chapel for the wedding. Rose had sent invites to Lissa, Christian, Eddie, her mother, Kirova, Adrian, Mia, and Alberta.

Lissa did us the favor of decorating the chapels with roses, probably to make fun of Rose. Christian, on the other hand, put up the candles where he thought they were necessary. I guess having a fire-using Moroi can come in handy sometimes. Mia arrived at the academy a few hours ago and was helping Eddie fix Rose's bouquet, which Rose demanded that there not be any roses on it. We all had to laugh at that one.

When we arrived at her dorm, we saw a large package on her bed. Rose dropped my hand and ripped the card off, reading it thoroughly with wide eyes. I raised an eyebrow. What was it?

Rose turned to me and grinned. "You're not going to see this one until tomorrow," she said with a mischievous grin. I caught on; it was her wedding dress.

"Who is it from?" I asked cautiously. If it was from Adrian, it had to be some skimpy kind of dress.

"It's from my dad. My mom somehow got a hold of him, or maybe it's with all the rumors spreading throughout the Moroi and dhampir government, and he just felt like he had to do something to commemorate 'his daughter's special day'," she said with a laugh, making quotation marks with her fingers at the end. I smiled and pulled her into my arms, kissing her hair.

"Have you finished packing?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I'm pretty much done," she replied. There was a knock on the door and we pulled apart just as Janine came in. I held back a groan; was this woman always programmed to break our time together?

She smirked in my direction. "Out, Belikov. This meeting is strictly between us Hathaway's," she said, shooing me out. Rose just smiled weakly before Janine slammed the door in my face. I just chuckled and went back to my room.

* * *

**RPOV**

"Was that really necessary?" I groaned, plopping down on my bed. She took a seat in my chair and ran her fingers over the white dress with a small smile. I raised my eyebrows. Did she miss my father so much? I guess they loved each other more than I'd thought. Well, I think they still do.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked, her eyes back to their serious composure.

I rolled my eyes. "For the thousandth time, yes," I said, folding my arms across my chest. This discussion was already wearing me out.

She shook her head and sighed. "You know once you finish your vows, you're stuck with him until death," she warned.

I smirked. "Mom, even after death I would still love him," I said confidently. She managed to give me a small smile, which was pretty rare. Then she sighed.

"I can't believe my daughter's going to go down the aisle before me," she grumbled and I laughed. She joined in shortly and we knew that the tension and uneasiness between us had finally vanished. Well, for now at least.

I hugged her tightly. "Thanks," I said and felt her arms squeeze my rib cage. I smiled and closed my eyes.

* * *

**DPOV**

I waited at the front of the altar, clenching my fists tightly out of sheer nervousness. Next to me stood Christian and Eddie in their black tuxedos matching my own. On the other side of the podium stood Lissa and Mia. We never chose a best man nor maid of honor. Rose and I saw no point in it. Christian nudged me with a sly grin.

"Calm down, Guardian Belikov. Rose isn't going to go anywhere," he joked and I chuckled at his attempt at humor. Kirova sat in the front row, that disapproving look still plastered onto her face. Next to her sat Alberta, and beside her was Janine. We couldn't find Adrian in his room. Maybe he was heartbroken, since Rose hasn't dared to go and approach him.

The music started playing and all nine heads, including mine, turned to the entrance of the chapel. My eyes widened at Rose's appearance as she was led in by Stan, of all people. I don't know how she got him to be the one to give her away to me, but she did. What caught me off-guard was the dress. It clung to her body, defining her perfect curves even more. Stan had a smirk on his face and whispered something in Rose's ear. It couldn't have been good because Rose stepped on his foot with the heel of her shoe, making them stop midway down the aisle as Stan hobbled around while holding his foot while Rose smirked at him. Lissa and Mia giggled and the two boys next to me shook their heads with knowing grins. Stan regained his composure and the two continued down the aisle, both of them glaring at each other. He handed her over to me and we walked up to Father Andrew, who smiled gently at us.

"You just had to wear something that makes me want to rip it off," I hissed in her ear. She smirked and elbowed my ribs.

"If you want to blame someone, blame my father," she whispered before we turned to Father Andrew.

He cleared his throat and began reading from the scripture. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sign of God – and in the face of this company – to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace," he said and paused, looking at the few faces for objections as Rose held her breath. She exhaled as he continued speaking, "Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind. It is intended for their mutual joy – and for the help and comfort given on another in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly – it is a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained."

I tuned out the rest, staring at Rose's beautiful face. Her natural beauty that wasn't covered by cheap-looking make-up illuminated her face.

Father Andrew paused and smiled at the both of us. "You may exchange your vows," he said, surprising both of us; we had totally forgotten about the vows.

Unfortunately, I had to think of something to say from the top of my head, and I could see Rose trying to form her own vow.

I cleared my throat. "Rosemarie Hathaway. From the moment I first laid my eyes upon you, I knew you were different from any other woman in the world. You're natural beauty outshines everyone else's. You're one of the most stubborn people I know, but you're also one of the few strongest people I know. You're my first and only love, my one and only soul mate. I can't bear to live without you in my life," I said softly, smiling gently at her. Lissa and Mia were crying from behind Rose.

It was her turn, and she stood up straight, looking directly into my eyes. "Dimitri Belikov. From the moment I met you, you attracted me in so many ways possible, even though your training sessions just proved what a pain in the ass you really are," she said, causing Lissa, Mia, Christian, and Eddie to laugh, "But it became insignificant later. You were always there for me to lean on. You became my pillar of life; I would fall if you weren't here. I love you. I don't care how far death pulls us apart because I know I will always love you."

I smiled at her, conveying to her a look that said how much I loved her in that moment.

Father Andrew gathered everyone's attention and turned it back towards him. "Do you, Dimitri Belikov, take Rosemarie Hathaway to be your wife – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said, looking at Rose from out of the corner of my eye. She blushed a pale pink color.

He turned to Rose. "Do you, Rosemarie Hathaway, take Dimitri Belikov to be your husband – to live together after God's ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she said with confidence that mirrored my own.

After we had exchanged our rings, he closed his book and grinned at the both of us. "And so, by the power vested in me by Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth. You may now kiss the bride," Father Andrew concluded and I gently pressed my lips against hers as everyone cheered in the background. I pulled back after feeling Janine's glare that sent daggers in my direction. Rose chuckled and winked at me, making me smile.

After taking multiple pictures, we all walked out and stopped at the car. Rose hugged her mother and all of her friends. She threw in a punch at Christian and Eddie, causing them to laugh. I heard Stan sniffing from next to me.

"I didn't know you were the emotional type, Guardian Alto," I stated casually.

He hastily wiped his eyes and tried to keep a straight face, but it wavered tremendously as another flood of tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "Wh-who's emotional?" he said with a slight sob as he rubbed his eyes against his sleeve profusely, making me smirk.

Alberta stepped up to me and shook my hand, smiling. "Have fun," she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and returned the smile.

Janine came up and shook my hand, then squeezed it with all of her might, making me wince slightly. "Hurt Rose and I'll hunt you down," she threatened. I swallowed hard and nodded. She smirked and released her grip on my hand, stepping back into her initial position. Kirova only sent us a nod. I turned to Rose's friends and bowed slightly. They grinned and bowed back, making me laugh. We got into the car and waved before speeding off. I faintly heard Christian say, "Yeah, I knew they couldn't wait to get to the hotel."

I held Rose's hand with my own as I drove, our fingers laced together. She smiled and leaned her head against my shoulder. "I love you," she said.

I grinned. "I love you, too," I said, kissing her forehead before turning my attention back to the road.

When we'd arrived at the hotel, we checked in with the lady at the front desk. "Have a nice night," she said politely and we grinned at her.

"Thank you," Rose said, a little smug. When we were out of view, I picked Rose up bridal style, emitting a gasp from her.

"What do you think you're doing!?" she hissed, smacking my shoulder with her fist. I laughed and got into the elevator with another couple who just looked amused at our position.

"Newly weds?" they asked. Rose turned crimson red and looked away, mumbling curses under her breath.

"Yes," I replied with a smile. They smiled back and got off at their floor. When we'd reached our room, I dropped her on the bed and she huffed at me.

"You've got a lot of nerve doing that in public," she said, pointing a finger at me. I chuckled and she gasped as my face suddenly hovered over hers.

"But you didn't mind," I said heavily, inhaling her scent. Her breathing quickened as I leaned in slowly towards her lips.

"Maybe," she whispered with a smirk.

I laughed and kissed her lips softly. "Welcome to a new life, Mrs. Rose Belikov," I whispered against her lips before we began tearing each other's clothes off.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**NO, this is NOT the end! I've still got plenty of chapters to go. :D**

**And I DID NOT continue because of the young readers out there. There's a reason why I put this story as T. :D**

**And I will be a little slower on updates because my laptop got confiscated by my dad (grrr) and so I have to use the school's computer (and not get caught doing fanfics). **

**Oh, by the way, go check out my profile for the link to see what Rose's wedding dress looks like. :D**

**-Delicate**


	13. Rose's Mission

**Okay, the reason why this chapter took so long was because I had just found out how pointless my initial idea was going to be. Hence, I deleted it and restarted it again. If you want to read what happened in Siberia, you can imagine it or you can get a brief idea from my other fanfic. :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Rose's Mission_

The trip to visit my mother was better than I had hoped. Despite the fact that Natalya wasn't so happy about her sister-in-law being American, everyone got along just fine. Alina, the younger sister, adored Rose and vice versa. And, of course, my mother just fell in love with Rose in an instant. Rose, being Rose, had a hard time being polite around her in-laws because she knew she couldn't swear; she even told me she wasn't going to utter one single swear word during our honeymoon. Back then, I'd highly doubted it.

We arrived at the Moroi Royal Court and Lissa and Christian were the first ones to greet us, both of them squeezing the air out of Rose and shaking my hand. Alberta walked up to us with a smile.

"Belikov. And Belikov," she greeted with a laugh, "The Queen wants to see you both immediately." We followed her until we'd reached a grand room. The Queen sat in her big chair, her eyes as cold as Antarctica as she glared at us.

She nodded at Alberta. "Thank you, Guardian Petrov. You may leave us," she said briskly. Alberta bowed slightly and walked out, closing the doors behind her. The Queen sighed and her lips curled into a smirk.

"Two of the best guardians in the entire Dhampir government married to each other. Isn't that nice," she said sarcastically, "So, tell me, how are you going to keep protecting your charge when you, Mrs. Belikov, can't keep your hands off of any male being?"

_What the hell?_ "Your majesty, Rose isn't that sort of woman," I interjected as calmly as I could without gritting my teeth. This was definitely _not_ the way I'd wanted it to be when we'd returned.

She waved her hand as if brushing away my statement. "Obviously, you have no idea that she was flaunting herself at my great-nephew. The nerve of this wench, now married to you. I actually pity you, Mr. Belikov, for having to handle such a vixen for the remainder of your existence," she sneered.

Rose gave the Queen such a cold glare, one I've never seen before. "And just what makes you say that? I've told you before, _your majesty_," she said, emphasizing her title, "that Adrian is the one who's been coming to me, not the other way around." The Queen had to be either blind or stupid, or even both. Can't she see how Rose pushes away Adrian's love for her? Someone has to knock some sense into her.

"Guardian Rosemarie Belikov," the Queen bellowed, "If you keep disrespecting me like that, I'll see to it that you are removed from your position as Princess Vasilisa's guardian." If she weren't the Queen of the Moroi government, I'd have her beaten down to a pulp in an instant. Look at me, I'm already thinking like Rose.

But instead of snapping her head off, Rose just smirked coolly. "If you do, then I'll be free to tell everyone about you and Ambrose," she said. The Queen actually dropped her jaw for once before shutting it tightly closed. Boy, did she ever look mad. Her pale face just turned crimson red within a fraction of a second.

She cleared her throat. "How do you know about _that_?" she hissed.

Rose just shrugged and said, "I just happened to encounter him during my last stay here. And I can assure you, he seems really into you."

"Fine," the Queen said very quickly, "Just go to your room and get out of my sight." We obliged and rushed out of there, going up the halls and stairs. As we passed through every hall, all the guardians turned to each other and whispered amongst themselves while pointing at us. It was parallel to what had occurred at the Academy. Rose seemed to pay no mind to them, keeping her head up as we walked by them.

We'd arrived at our room that we'd be sharing together for a very long time. Our luggage had been placed in the corner of the room. Stepping back, there was a king-size bed in the center of the room, a wooden desk facing the wall, a large bathroom, and an another full room for the closet. I assumed the closet was what had captured Rose's interest the most. But instead of charging there, she just jumped on the bed, landing on her back, and sighed happily. I joined her, sitting on the edge.

"It finally feels good to get that nasty witch off my back," she groaned. I chuckled and ran my fingers through her long hair. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the silkiness of her brown hair.

"But," I began, "I haven't seen Adrian ever since you came back." She seemed to have just realize this, too, because she shot up in bed.

"That's true. He's probably out drinking down his sorrow," she said with an exasperated sigh. I kissed her neck, making a moan escape from her lips. I captured her lips with my own, the flame heating between us again, and it was never going to extinguish. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I lowered her back down on the bed.

I pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "Guardian Belikov, we need to be on duty soon," I reminded her with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes at me before hoisting herself up and folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, duty, whatever. I'm leaving first," Rose said with a sigh and left the room, leaving me in my thoughts. Something the Queen had said was tugging at my mind, but I had no idea what--or why--it was hinting at something big.

After washing up and changing clothes, I headed for Ozera's room. I arrived just as he opened his door.

"Ah, hey, Guardian Belikov," he greeted and locked the door behind him. I ended up following him to the cafeteria where Lissa and Rose were eating and talking. From Rose's expression, I could tell she had already asked her about how her honeymoon was. I didn't need to be shadow kissed to know that Lissa was a little jealous.

"I'm going to propose to her soon. It's what she wants, and it's what I want, too," Christian firmly said beside me. I stared down at him and gave him a soft nod, earning a grateful smile in return. At that moment, Lissa's head jerked up and smiled when she met Christian's eyes, giving me a small nod of recognition. I returned her actions and went with Christian to sit at their table.

"One hour of being a guardian and I'm already bored. I don't know how you managed to get this far without going insane," Rose groaned in my ear softly. I resisted the urge to shake with laughter and only coughed as a response, earning a smile from her in return.

For the remainder of the day, the two of us led our assignments to their respected classes and dropped them off at their rooms around their bedtime. College students don't have a curfew, which lightens a little burden off of Rose's shoulders. She plopped down on the bed by the time I shut the door behind us.

"This isn't what I signed up for," she mumbled into the pillow.

I laughed and kissed her neck. "No one ever said being a Guardian was a fun job to have. Anyways, your stuck with this job for life," I said, earning a pillow thrown at my face. Shoving it out of my vision, Rose was up and heading towards the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower," she sighed.

I grinned. "Need help?" I offered innocently.

She turned and grinned. "Not this time," she said and shut the door behind her.

* * *

A month had passed since our return, and nothing had changed in the atmosphere. That is, until the Queen's advisor knocked on our door at one in the afternoon, a sleeping time for everyone. Rose muttered a string of swear words and wiggled out of my arms, putting on a robe.

She threw open the door in her irritation. "What the hell do you want?" she demanded, her eyes barely opened. I rubbed my eyes and sat up from where I was.

The advisor looked back and forth from me to Rose before clearing her throat. "The Queen wishes to see your presence immediately. Both of you," she said simply and left.

"Wonderful. Hallelujah!" Rose groaned and slammed the door. She carelessly threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I just changed into jeans and pulled a sweatshirt over my pajama top. Rose messed with her hair for a few seconds before giving up. It just took me a few seconds to gather my hair into a small ponytail. I grabbed her hand with a tiresome smile and led her out.

"Your hair looks lovely like that," I said, kissing her forehead. She grinned and leaned into my shoulder.

We stopped in front of two white, majestic doors. The Guardian on either side of it nodded at each other and opened them for us to enter. Of course, the Queen sat on her throne looking as arrogant as ever. The two of us did a rough bow in respect before standing straight.

"Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, but we've just received shocking news," the Queen said, her voice rushed and in shock.

Rose stifled a yawn. "What is it, your majesty?" she asked, stretching the title a bit too long. To be honest, I felt like I was going to collapse in front of both women in a minute.

The Queen's face wrinkled with worry. "They say that…"

She paused for a few minutes and inhaled heavily.

"They say that Adrian was taken by a group of Strigoi," the Queen said.

Rose's eyes slammed opened, immediately in alert mode. Suddenly, sleep was irrelevant to us at that moment.

"When was this?" Rose asked cautiously.

"About two months ago. He just disappeared without a word, so I just assumed that he was going somewhere to clear his mind. But he never came back. And just now, we'd received a recorded note saying that he's being held captive," the Queen explain, slightly rushed.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rose pale and guilt take over her physique.

"Wh-where are they?" Rose asked, trying to regain her composure.

"According to _them_," the Queen said acidly, "they're keeping him in the neighboring mountains."

I thought for a moment, and then something just hit me. "They want something from us," I said, and the Queen nodded hesitantly. This has to be the first time the Queen is showing her fear, not her power.

"The note said that if we want Adrian back as a Moroi, then we need to send Rosemarie to retrieve him," she said.

"Only?" I clarified. I received a nod from her.

"With all do respect, that is insane. Who knows how many Strigoi are there?" I countered. I was stopped by Rose's hand that touched my shoulder.

"I'll go," she said, her voice full of her trademark confidence.

I whipped my head at her. "Rose," I whispered.

She looked at me. "Protecting the Moroi is our job, remember? It's my fault he got into this situation in the first place. If only I'd have flat out rejected him from the beginning, this wouldn't be happening," she said. Her eyes told me that nothing would change her mind.

Typical Rose, I thought. Though sometimes I wish she wouldn't be so stubborn during crucial moments.

She grabbed my hand gently, but firmly. "Let me go and bring him back," she whispered.

I stared at her for what seemed like eternity before nodding once. She smiled at me before turning to face the Queen.

"I'll take this mission," she said, her voice full of authority, "And I'll depart tomorrow."

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R! :D**

**Okay, I'm pretty sure this isn't the usual longer chapters, but at least I updated! **

**I mean, I'm in such a good mood (I aced my AP Calculus exam) that I've already started typing up the next chapter for **_**both**_** fanfics! Yes, **_**both**_** not **_**one**_**!**

**So, until next time!!**

**-Delicate**


	14. Cold Sweat

**You know, I hate it when I'm working on two stories and another brilliant AU idea pops into my head. (Sigh) Well, I'll start on it after this series :D**

* * *

_Cold Sweat_

Once we were dismissed from the throne room, the walk back was awkwardly silent. The mission was stuck in Rose's mind, and I knew she was contemplating a strategy to get Adrian out of the Strigoi's clutches. Knowing her, she was going to solve this on her own, not asking anyone for help. Sometimes I wish I could just immerse myself in her mind and fix her stubbornness.

When we'd arrived at our room, Rose walked right into the door and shook back to reality.

"What the hell? Who put the door there?" she asked absent-mindedly; the sleep had come back to her.

I chuckled and opened it for her, and she staggered her way towards the bed and crashed down upon it flat on her front. Closing the door, I turned off the lights and tucked her into bed, lifting her gently and placing her under the covers. Moments later, I joined her there, the warmth doing both of us some good. I just wrapped my arms around her and she snuggled in closer to me, making me grin.

"I'm going to send that drunk to rehab once I get my hands on him," she mumbled.

I laughed. "Do what you want to him when the Queen isn't looking," I reminded her. I felt her grin, almost smugly.

"Look what I've turned you into," she joked and I kissed her forehead in response.

She must've sensed my discomfort, because she pulled away slightly to look up into my eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked, reaching up to touch my face gently.

I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch. "I'm not comfortable with the thought of you going out on a rescue mission by yourself," I admitted, feeling somewhat shameful. I knew Rose could handle anything in her path so long as she gets what she wants, even a drunk stalker that never ceased to annoy the hell out of me.

She grinned. "Hey, it's just Strigoi and Adrian. How hard could it be?" she joked, evidently making a laugh arise from my throat.

Hugging her tightly, she fell asleep in my arms with a smile on her face. I would say she looked like an angel. I really loved her, and I could only anticipate her fast return.

The next morning, Rose packed some of her necessary belongings in a duffel bag and secured her stake on her belt. We barely spoke to one another at the court's cafeteria, both of us completely unaware of our surroundings. All we did was clasp our hand around each other's tightly above the table, not under it like we always did. Some of the Guardians stopped every once in a while to wish Rose a safe trip and good luck. Lissa stopped and hugged Rose tightly for reassurance, then left with Christian, who gave Rose a comforting smile.

After eating, we headed back to our room and she picked up her packed belongings and put her necklace around her neck for good luck. It was the engagement ring I'd given her, only this time she put a silver chain through it.

I nodded at her once, and she gave me a firm nod of her own before we set off towards the courtyard gates for her departure.

The Queen was standing there with her Guardians.

"Rosemarie, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you bring back Adrian safely," she said.

She just nodded once and walked towards the gates. The Queen and her Guardians already began to head back inside, and I started to mimic their movements.

"Dimitri!" Rose suddenly called from behind me.

I turned swiftly just as she jumped and threw her arms around my neck. Without thinking twice, I tightly wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face in the crook of her neck.

We stood like that for a few minutes before pulling apart slowly. I cupped her face with both of my hands and pressed my forehead against hers.

"Roza," I whispered, clearly not wanting her to go.

She looked at me like she wanted to desperately tell me something, but couldn't. Of course, I wasn't going to let that slide.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Look, I'd better be going before Adrian gets red contact lens," she joked and broke out of my hold.

Smiling, I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you," I said sincerely.

She gave me one of her angelic smiles. Only I get to see those frequently. "I love you, too," she said with her duffel bag hoisted over her right shoulder, turned, and walked through the gates that closed shut behind her.

* * *

**RPOV**

"Damn, I can't see anything," I grumbled as I pushed through the trees and bushes. Occasionally, I pulled a plant out by its roots out of frustration. Yeah, I really need to get my anger under control. Maybe I should start listening to Dimitri's advices.

Thinking of Dimitri immediately brought a smile on my face. I could just imagine the look on his face when I tell him that --

And that's when the nightmare began.

My stomach began to feel queasy, a sign that meant Strigoi were nearby. Getting out my stake in one fluid movement, I waited for them to show their undead faces and bloody fangs.

"This scent is very familiar," a low voice chuckled from the shadows; it was nearing sundown.

My right leg slid backwards as I placed the stake in offensive mode. "Why don't you come out if it's so familiar," I said sarcastically.

I heard something dash past behind me, most likely from one tree to another. They were probably trying to get me with an ambush attack. Or maybe they were going to attack my blind spots. Either way, they weren't going to take me down that easily.

The leaves rustled hard to my south-west and my stake shot in the same direction. A Strigoi was frozen in his tracks and gasping for breath as his body twitched uncontrollably before collapsing altogether.

"I told him he should've sent more of them!" a voice groaned from the dark.

"He?" I repeated.

"I don't think he knows what it means to enslave a royal Moroi," another voice groaned. They were ignoring me, or trying to piss me off.

"Why don't you stop complaining like little five year-old sissies and tell me who's in charge of the Moroi's kidnapping, if you value your pitiless life?" I hissed, my grasp on the stake becoming even tighter.

"Why don't you come see for yourself, Dhampir?" the previous voice asked.

I rolled my eyes. "How about you and your buddies come out so I could kick your asses?" I suggested.

He laughed. "Sure thing, babe," he said cockily.

I thought that everything would be peachy easy. They come out, I stake them all, I go find Adrian, then we come home.

That is, if there weren't twenty Strigoi surrounding one Dhampir teenager.

They all looked at me with hunger in their eyes. Most of them were hasty to get a bite out of my neck and very few were patient with their desire.

"So, you still think you can kick all of our asses?" the Strigoi in front of me with long black hair asked, a triumphant smirk on his face.

I narrowed my eyes. "Let's find out," I said coolly.

They all jumped towards me at once, and I'd managed to maneuver myself out of their grasps, staking half of them in the process. But I knew my skills were beginning to become slightly rusty from lack of training.

I became too focused on killing the Strigoi that were on ground level that I never noticed some of them were camping in the trees above us.

Five Strigoi flew down from the trees with thick nylon ropes and managed to crash me against the trunk of a tree. I blanked out for a few seconds, but that was all they needed to figure out a way to send me unconscious: hitting the pressure point on the back of my neck.

* * *

"Rose? Rose! Hey, Rose!!" a highly annoying--yet familiar--voice shouted near my ear.

Groggily opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was a cage with Adrian in it.

What on earth was Adrian doing in this place? If he doesn't tell me what the hell he's doing here, I'll--

Wait. _Adrian_?

My eyes immediately shot open. I found him! He was still in good condition with a few scratches here and there but nothing severe in my eyes.

"How did I get here?" I asked, looking around the cage of my own. I tried to move my arms, but my wrists were chained to the wall behind me. I even noticed they positioned me standing up rather than sitting down on the cold ground.

Perfect. Just perfect. Now what?

"A Strigoi carried you here while you were unconscious," he answered promptly.

"Oh that's just wonderful. God, my neck's being such a pain," I groaned, wishing I could massage the back of my neck.

A wooden door creaked opened and one of the Strigoi from the fight entered with a hungry look in his eyes. He unlocked the entrance to my cage and licked his lips as he approached me.

I raised my leg as my only weapon for self-defense, hoping that it would be enough to make the undead asshole running back to his boss.

But no matter how hard I tried to keep him at a distance, he approached me through all the kicking and sank his teeth into the side of my neck.

I gasped in pain as Adrian shouted at him to get off of me. I began to feel lightheaded as he pulled away, satisfied while wiping away my blood that was on his lips.

"You…son of a…" I slurred as I struggled to stay conscious.

"Oh, is my pet awake already?" another familiar voice asked.

A pair of heavy footsteps approached me, and it took me all of my effort to look up to see who it was.

When I was able to make out a face, I was once again pulled back to reality.

"Harton," I whispered, recognizing the Strigoi that had turned me into one of them back in the caves and who had tried to rape me during my enslavement.

He laughed. "Really, I'm honored you still remember me," he said, reaching out to touch my face.

Out of anger, my right leg shot out to kick him square in the guts, but he was far faster than I was.

His hands grabbed my leg tightly. "Oh, so my pet still hasn't learned any discipline yet. Must I teach you how to treat your master all over again?" he asked playfully.

The next thing I knew before I blacked out again was the sound of a loud snap and high-pitched scream.

* * *

**DPOV**

I shot up in bed as if someone had been screaming right into my ear. I looked at the digital clock on the side table and it read ten o'clock in the morning, the sleeping time for Dhampir and Moroi.

My ears picked up a faint noise of approaching footsteps, and before I knew it Christian and Alberta had bursted through the door, breaking the pitiful wood in the process.

"Guardian Belikov! Rose! Strigoi! And! Horrible!" Christian shouted as he tried to regain his normal breathing pattern.

Alberta placed and arm out in front of him before meeting my eyes. I saw anguish in them, and I could only await troublesome news.

"Belikov, Rose has been taken captive by Strigoi. And no one knows where she is," she said gravely.

When Alberta had finished the last sentence, the back of my neck broke out in cold sweat.

This can't possibly be happening.

* * *

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R!**

**Dudes, I finally see an end coming to this fan fiction! :O**

**Ah, and next week I'll be in Yosemite and San Francisco (yeaup, I am a Californian xD) so I highly doubt there will be an update. But I'll try! I'll try!**

**And hopefully you're all psyched about going back to school as I am. (groan) **

**That was supposed to be sarcastic, if you didn't know. o.o**

**I can't wait for **_**Blood Promise**_** to come out! Hopefully, it'll be awesome!!**

**-Delicate**


	15. I'll Kill You

**Yes! I am passing my class! :D**

**Anyways, I think I'll finish this fanfic up in the next…five to seven chapters. Then it's on to **_**Under The Stars**_** and my next unnamed fanfic! Exciting! Haha!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I'll Kill You_

**DPOV**

"Belikov! Hey, wait!" Alberta called loudly as she tried to match my pace.

I was going from shelf to shelf in our closet and finally found the duffel bag I was looking for. I strode back to the bed where I had laid out the basic essentials: ibuprofen, soothing cream, bandages, medicine patches, water, and a cell phone. I quickly stuffed everything inside the bag and picked up the map from the wooden desk. I was determined to get to Rose back, no matter what.

Yet, Alberta was so insistent on changing my mind. "Calm down, Belikov. At least be rational and think about your duties!" she shouted.

I stopped at the door and turned around to face her with a cold glare. She visibly shivered. "I am being rational, Guardian Petrov. I'm going after the one who's in danger. Christian Ozera is safe here, and Rose is out there being food to Strigoi. Tell me if I'm being irrational by choosing the latter," I said acidly. When she didn't reply, I turned on my heels and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

As I walked down the corridors and hallways, everyone - both Moroi and Dhampir - moved out of my way either because they knew I was extremely pissed off or because they knew I was extremely desperate. Even the Queen herself stopped in her tracks as I sped past her. She was still in shock at my reaction to her request, no doubt.

* * *

_Flashback--_

Once I was able to grasp the news Alberta had brought, I threw on a sweatshirt and marched past the two of them to get to Tatiana's chambers. The Guardians on either side of the double doors turned to look at me sternly, but the look on my face evidently made their stoic expressions waver out of place.

"I need to speak with the Queen," I said.

One of them opened his mouth to protest, but the voice of the Queen said, "Let him in."

"Yes, your majesty," the two said and opened the door.

Walking through it, I didn't even give Tatiana a full bow. I was in a rush.

She sighed and yawned as if I'd awoken her from her peaceful sleep. "Anything I can help you with, Belikov?" she asked, fanning herself.

"Allow me to take over Rose's mission," I requested. She just stared at me dully as if she wasn't surprised that I'd follow immediately after her. Her advisor who had been standing next to the chair dead on her feet leaned to the Queen's ear and whispered something my ears couldn't quite catch. But it couldn't have been good because the Queen smiled pleasantly - not to mention triumphantly.

She folded the fan with a flick of the wrist. "Guardian Belikov, I give you permission to proceed and take over Rosemarie's duty," she said simply, as if we were having a nice chat. And that irritated me beyond my senses.

Before I turned to leave, I met her eyes coldly and said, "And when we bring Lord Ivashkov back, Rose and I will take a leave of absence with our charges."

Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as her face turned crimson red. "Hold your tongue, Belikov! I will not allow Vasilisa to go beyond the Court boundaries!" she shouted, "Nor you and your wife for that matter as well! You two are devoted to your Moroi until death!"

To hell with that.

"You should be more focused on the well-being of your nephew instead of manipulating us, your majesty," I said and left the room, leaving her face pale.

_End Flashback--_

* * *

When I was walking towards the gates, I was surprised to see someone waiting for me. He stood up with his hands in his pockets and a duffel bag of his own over his shoulder.

"Lord Ozera, what are you doing out here?" I asked, very well aware of his next response.

"I'm going," he said, "You're going to need some fire power on the way there anyways."

I thought against it but couldn't help but agree, even though I knew that Alberta was going to have my head when she hears that I had taken a Moroi outside of the wards. She was still assuming that he was in his room asleep. From my knowledge, he could have compelled her for all I know.

"You do realize the dangers you'll be exposed to," I said stupidly. This Moroi wasn't the type to think through things; he was another Rose Hathaway.

He rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Did you really think that I'd just kick back and relax while she's out there? Especially with Strigoi of all things," he said.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and looked out towards the mountains. "Then you're going to have to use a lot of magic if you're coming," I said, earning a triumphant, yet smug grin from him. I could only imagine Rose having a twin brother standing right next to me.

"That's what Moroi are supposed to do," he said as we walked towards the gates, sharing the same views as his aunt.

The Guardians by the gates looked at me and nodded but stopped when they saw Christian. One of them pointed at him. "He can't leave the Royal Court without the Queen's permission," he reminded me.

Christian matched his eyes and smiled. "You're going to let me through, and when we're gone you're not going to let anyone know," he said, glancing back and forth between the Guardians. They smiled like idiots and opened the gates for us unthinkingly. I only shook my head in disbelief; compulsion was a scary thing.

As we walked on the trail path for about nearly an hour, Christian began to stimulate a conversation. "Hey, I don't think Rose grasps the fact of how lucky she is to have someone like you," he said.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Someone like me," I repeated, earning a nod. I laughed slightly and said, "No, I'm the one who's lucky to have someone like her."

He shrugged. "That's true. But I don't think anyone would go after his lover who's being held by Strigoi _twice_," he said admirably, "And as far as rules go, Moroi can't do anything, or so Queen Bitch says."

"I also think that Moroi should fight beside Dhampirs, but then think about how much danger they'll expose themselves to," I replied.

"We face danger everyday of our lives, whether or not we're behind wards. And besides, we-" Christian broke off as a group of Strigoi jumped out from the bushes around us. It was nearly sunset, meaning that they'd have to attack quickly or retreat as soon as possible.

I pulled out my stake and got into position whereas Christian set his hands in front of him. I was slightly curious as to how Tasha had taught him how to fight.

"Food," they hissed, inching closer to us.

And all of a sudden, the entire group of Strigoi was on fire. They shrieked in pain as they struggled to pat down the flames, but Christian wasn't going to let them go so easily. While they were busy dealing with the flames, I drove the stake into every one of them until they were all on the ground motionless.

"It's been a while since I've been able to use fire for something," Christian said, completely content. If it had been Lissa, she would have been trembling in shock.

"Let's go," I said and continued along the trail, looking for someplace that could shelter Christian for the night. The sun had already started peaking above the horizon, and I could see the sleep coming over him.

I walked off the trail and pushed aside multiple branches and bushes until I found a dug-up cave. If I had to guess, Rose must have stayed here prior to the kidnapping. Christian followed right behind me and visibly relaxed as he sat down after I slightly rearranged the area to be a bit more comfortable. He dumped handfuls of branches on the ground between us and set it on fire. And with that, he fell asleep.

Sighing, I looked out towards the sky that was painted with morning hues. Just seeing the scene made me feel slightly relaxed from the tension I had had. Apparently, the relaxation made me fall asleep, and I didn't notice until I woke up and saw Christian keeping an eye out.

He turned his head towards me and grinned. "Have a nice sleep?" he asked.

I sat up quickly and hastily. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have fallen asleep," I apologized. Who knows what danger could have found him while I wasn't conscious.

He just shrugged and tossed me my duffel bag. "No worries. Let's just move on," he said and stood up to leave. I followed suit and the two of us continued on the trail for some time.

Until Christian stopped in his tracks.

I stopped immediately and turned to him. "What is it?" I asked. And then my ears picked it up. The sound of a woman screaming faintly at a distance. A scream that I knew all too well.

Without saying anything, I grabbed Christian's arm and bolted like hell up the hill, ignoring his complaints of pain. I can give him some of the patches I had brought along later. For now, all that mattered was getting Rose and Adrian back safely. And killing the Strigoi that had imprisoned them.

We reached a wooden house that had no windows. I kicked the door opened and my eyes widened at the sight. There were five Strigoi in the vicinity and Rose and Adrian were in separate metal cages. Rose was chained from the ceiling, which must have made her defenseless against their blows.

The Strigoi that was next to Rose's limp figure released his hold on her hair and advanced towards us, the rest of them following his movements. He had an amused glint in his eyes. "Well, you must have taken out my defense along the way for you to have even reached here," he said humorously.

I gripped my stake in my hand and pulled Christian behind me. He was in shock from seeing Rose. "So it may seem," I replied through gritted teeth. I wasn't going to let him distract me by talking. I chanced a glance at Rose and saw that she was barely supporting herself by the chains. I had to finish these Strigoi fast.

Turning my head slightly to look at Christian, I nodded once and he understood the message. The four Strigoi lunged at us and nearly touched us hadn't it been for Christian setting them on fire. I jabbed my stake in all four chests.

The last Strigoi just laughed in amusement while clapping his hands. Suddenly, I remembered his voice. It was him who had given me the plane ticket when Rose was still Strigoi.

"Well done, Belikov. I must say, you and your wife's skills are quite similar and advanced. Really, I do congratulate you," he laughed.

I glared and pointed my stake at him. "I won't take that as a compliment," I said coldly.

His laughing ceased and only chuckled. "And what do you intend to do, Belikov?" he asked smugly. For a Strigoi, he was highly conceited of his own strength.

I smiled without humor. "I'll kill you for hurting her," I growled.

* * *

**Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R!**

**This isn't one of my longest chapters, I know. But I'll make the next chapter really juicy to make up for this one. Mind you all, I'll be busy for the next three months with college apps and all that good stuff so I probably will update every once in a while!**

**-Delicate**


	16. Pregnant

**My dad's being an idiot. Again. (rolls eyes) He always thinks he has the authority to plan out my life, maybe now because I'm applying to colleges. I don't know. Sometimes, being Asian sucks. **

**Anyways! We're nearing the end of this story! Whoot! **

**On a side note: I am **_**very**_** impatient for **_**Spirit Bound**_** to come out. Haha!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Pregnant_

The Strigoi and I were circling each other, and I moved around just enough so that Christian could grab the keys from the wall and unlock the cages holding the two hostages.

"Let me know when you need help," he whispered as he rushed from me to Adrian's cage. I heard the lock snap open and the door creak open as he went in and untied the bindings on Adrian's wrist. From his groaning, I assumed he needed a sharp utensil to break the binds.

"Ow! Hey, watch the skin!" Adrian yelped, smoke arising from his hands.

"Stop being such a baby. You can heal yourself once I'm finished," Christian snapped as he focused on the plastic restraints.

The Strigoi laughed at the two Moroi men disputing. "How amusing. They act just like prey," he said while licking his lips hungrily, stopping in his tracks as his red eyes fell upon Ozera and Ivashkov.

I stopped at the same time he did in front of the cage holding the two Moroi. "You've done your forceful feeding off of Rose. I won't let you harm anyone else," I said.

And that's when the fight exploded.

He lunged at me so fast I barely had enough time to move out of the way of his hand. He growled, his animal side taking over his physique. He wanted blood, and he was going to do everything he could to get it.

Needing to take the offensive, I dashed straight towards him and ducked under his attack, staking him in the ribs. It wasn't near the heart at all, but it was enough to make him howl in pain. I kicked up at his chin, making him stagger back as I heard a sickening crack in his neck. Had he been human, he would have surely died. I lunged at him, trying to get one more hit before he came back to his senses. The next thing I knew, I ended up crashing into the wall.

"What's wrong, Belikov?" he taunted. "I thought you were going to kill me."

Regaining my balance, I replied, "Don't worry. You'll see hell soon enough." He just laughed, the sound stirring up more anger within me.

Snarling, he launched himself towards me with his leg ready to attack. My foot shot out, preventing it from coming close to my body. He lost his balance, but managed to whack the stake out of my hand. It ended up flying across the room.

If I had to say, I'd say fighting this Strigoi was like fighting Rose on steroids. He just didn't know how to go down.

Glancing at my fallen stake, I knew that I had to get past him in order to even make an attempt to reach for it. But knowing his strategy, he wasn't going to let me go through him so easily. Even if I ran with all the speed I had, I don't think I could get near it. Damn their fast reflexes.

He ran towards me with his fist aimed for my face, and I managed to block his attack by crossing my arms in front of me. I realized a moment too late that that had been a diversion when I ended up crashing into the wall again. Suddenly, I knew how Rose felt when Natalie Dashkov was throwing her around the detention center.

I looked back at Rose's immobile figure just dangling from the chains and clenched my fists. Adrian and Christian just glanced back and forth from me to the Strigoi. Even if they could, I wouldn't let them help me.

"Try all you want, Belikov. You're helpless without that stake," the Strigoi said smugly.

Standing up, I tersely replied, "Not completely."

Before he knew it, my fist had already collided with his face and my foot with his stomach. He staggered back and fell onto his back. Without wasting a moment, I ran as fast as I could towards my stake. I almost reached it, until he grabbed my ankle, making me fall to the ground. I extended my arm out and got a firm hold of the weapon.

Growling, he swiftly made a movement to drink from my neck. With narrowed eyes, I jabbed him right where his heart was and proceeded to dig deeper as his screaming intensified with each second.

"You don't deserve to exist," I hissed coldly, and with that his eyes rolled to the back of his head, dead.

I pushed him off of me and got up, walking to the two Moroi. Christian got up and handed me the keys. I went to Rose's cage and hastily unlocked it, going over to the chains and finding the right key for the lock. Once I heard the snap, Rose collapsed into my arms. I held her there tightly for a moment before picking her up bridal style. I moved to leave until I felt something seeping through my right sleeve. Turning to look at it, I saw blood. Her period must have started a few hours ago. I couldn't waste time.

The two Moroi followed me out of the cabin. Christian looked at me as if asking my permission for doing something. I nodded, and before I knew it the cabin lit up in flames.

"I just wanted to make sure that bastard stays dead," he explained as we rushed back to the caves before the sun rose.

Once we reached the little shelter, I placed Rose on the ground and threw my coat over her body, putting her head on my thigh. Carefully, I ran my hand through her hair, weaving the strands between my fingers. I missed her so much.

Consciously, I became aware that there were two pairs of eyes watching me with mild interest. Christian already had a fire going whereas Adrian looked as if he would go crazy if he didn't get his hands on alcohol soon. Both of them looked starving, and they were staring at us, two Dhampirs.

Suddenly Christian stood up, tugging on Adrian's arm. "Come on," he said, pulling him towards the nearby bushes.

Adrian looked confused. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"To feed off of animals. If we don't get any blood soon, we won't make it back. And we can't risk Guardian Belikov being drained," he said and dragged the drug-addict out. They were in my peripheral view, so I knew they weren't far off.

I ran my fingers down her arms and found that they were cold due to lack of blood circulation. I kneaded her arms gently with my fingers until I felt the warmth return to her skin. She visibly relaxed and turned her head into my side. I just continued to stroke her hair.

* * *

It was nearing sunset, and yet the two Moroi men were still asleep.

Just then, Rose started thrashing around in my arms, howling in pain. Her eyes were still closed.

"Rose? Roza?" I whispered frantically, trying to keep her steady. Her hands flew to her abdomen, and I figured her cramps were beginning to become extremely unbearable. I tore open my duffel bag and crushed an ibuprofen in the water bottle, lifting it to her lips. By then, Christian and Adrian had jolted awake and were staring at Rose, concern and worry plastered all over their faces.

She sputtered it out at the first sip probably because of its bitter taste. I still held the bottle to her lips. "Come on, Roza, you have to drink it," I urged. After a few moments of struggling, she complied and drank reluctantly. Amazing how she could be so persistent, even in her sleep.

After a few minutes, she stopped screaming, but her hands never left her abdomen. We had to get her medical attention, fast.

I turned my head to Adrian, and he flinched under my gaze. "What did they do to her?" I asked sternly.

The royal swallowed hard. "All I know is that they broke her leg and kept drinking from her," he said, his voice trembling at the end. He turned his eyes back to her and an anguished feature overtook his expression.

But that didn't explain the reason for the area of the pain. I picked her up swiftly and turned to look at the Moroi. "She needs help, _now_," I said, and they immediately stood up, ready to go. Sleep disappeared from their eyes; they were fully alert.

It was a few hours before we approached the Court gates. The Guardians watching the gates turned to look at us, and their eyes widened at Adrian's presence. Immediately going on one knee, they said, "Lord Ivashkov, welcome back."

Adrian waved his hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just open the gates and let us in," he said.

"Right away, Lord Ivashkov," they replied and opened up the gates for us. Without another word to them, I ran up the flight of stairs and crashed through the doors of the hospital wing. The nurse there jumped in her seat and turned to look at us.

"Emergency. She needs help, now!" I shouted at her.

She flinched and nodded. "Irene! Get the stretcher!" she ordered. Seconds later, a Moroi woman appeared running while pushing a medical stretcher towards us. Quickly, I placed Rose on it, and they wheeled her off into the ER. The attending nurse told me to wait in the waiting room.

I shook my head. "No, I'll wait here," I said firmly.

She sighed and shrugged before heading back to the informant desk.

Sitting down on the plastic seats, I sighed and placed my head in my hands, praying that she would be all right. If she didn't make it, I didn't know what I'd do.

"Belikov!" Alberta called, running through the hall. She came up to me, gasping for breath.

I just looked up from where I was and nodded in acknowledgement. "Petrov," I said tersely.

"I've got one hell of a lecture to give you, but I'll do that later. How's Rose?" she asked, breathless. She seated herself in the chair across from mine.

I looked back down at my hands. "That's the mystery. Even I don't know," I whispered.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Everything's going to be fine. You know Rose better than anyone else. She's not going to let a Strigoi take her down," she said, trying to mollify my mood.

I appreciated her efforts for trying, but it wasn't helping. Nothing was going to help, for now. Alberta understood my silence and leaned back in her chair.

"Christian's with Lissa, by the way," she whispered. I just nodded, knowing that Eddie would keep an eye out for both of them.

After what had seemed to be eternity, the glass doors slid opened and they wheeled her out. We stood up and hovered over Rose, breathing sighs of relief. Alberta smiled at me and patted my shoulder. I was about to follow them as they wheeled her to her room until the doctor stopped me in my tracks.

"Guardian Dimitri Belikov, let's go talk in my office," she said. She was an elderly Moroi. She had brown hair with streaks of grey due to her age. She had the pale Moroi skin with slight wrinkles. But she was the top doctor of this vicinity, and I respected her for that.

I nodded and followed her into her glass office. Apparently, medical experts were fascinated by glass.

She beckoned me into the seat in front of her desk, which I sat down in. Folding her hands, she sighed heavily.

"Is she all right?" I asked, gripping my pants tightly.

She gave me a kind smile. "She has suffered blood loss, but it isn't as serious as you think it is. During her recuperation period, after you saved her, her blood cell count went back to normal. However, her right leg has a large fracture, and so we placed the two pieces back together and wrapped it in a cast. She won't be able to walk for a month or so," she explained.

I noticed how she was evading my question, and that scared me. "There's something else, isn't there?" I asked, hesitantly.

She sighed again and chuckled slightly. "Yes, well, I suppose there no use in hiding it from you," she mumbled humorlessly.

I motioned for her to continue. If it was bad as she's making it sound, I might as well know it now and find some way to deal with it.

"Guardian Belikov," she began softly. "Rose was carrying your child."

I blinked a few times. My child? And it was at that moment a thousand messages passed through my mind at the same time. And then suddenly, something hit me.

I met her sympathetic eyes cautiously. "You said she 'was,'" I clarified slowly. There just was no way that -

She nodded twice. "It might have been from the shock when they broke her leg. Or it may have been from the way she was tormented, and it was too much for her body to handle," she explained and paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I'm afraid Rose has had a miscarriage. I'm so sorry."

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**First of all, I **_**DO**_** know that Dhampirs can't have children with each other. But let me clarify that this is FANFICTION. (:**

**Just let me suffer for a few more months. I'm almost done with college applications. x--x**

**-Delicate**


	17. I'm Sorry

**Sorry for the delay. I committed to not write for a week. It was something for Bible study, haha. And I'm done with half of my colleges, so I found the time to write. :D**

**And I apologize ahead of time if there are any OOC moments.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I'm Sorry_

Somehow, I had managed to reach her room in a daze. She had had my child in her stomach, and now it was gone. Just like that. As shocked as I was, I knew that her reaction would be a lot worse. That was what I was thinking as I slid the door shut behind me and sat down in the seat next to her bed where she was hooked to various machines and an IV in her left hand.

I took her right hand and placed it against my cheek, relishing the warmth it emitted.

But I would have chosen her life over the baby. That I was sure of, despite my little trickle of desire to start a family with her.

Her fingers started to twitch as she struggled to fade into consciousness. Standing up, I placed her hand back down but didn't release it as I used one hand to cup her cheek.

"Rose? Can you hear me?" I murmured softly, hoping that my voice would lead her back to reality.

And just like that, her eyelids fluttered open. She stared at the white ceiling and blinked several times before taking in her surrounding. Sighing in relief, I sat back down and her eyes rested on my face.

"Roza," I said, a smile coming on as I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She opened her mouth to speak but ended up coughing dryly. I got up and went to the water dispenser in the corner of the room, bring back a cup of water. I slid my arm under her body around the shoulders and pulled her up, bringing the cup to her lips. She drank obediently and I gently placed her back against the pillows.

"Dimitri," she whispered and my heart gave a squeeze.

"I'm glad you're all right," I said, exhaling out of relief.

She suddenly seemed to remember something. "Do you know about…" she trailed off.

I hesitated for a few seconds before nodding once. "The doctor told me while you were sleeping," I said softly.

But that wasn't what she was worried about. "Is it okay?" she asked, sounding slightly frantic as she squeezed my hand tightly. "It's still here, right?"

I didn't answer her. I couldn't. How could I? I averted my eyes away from hers, and she knew. I chanced a glance at her and my heart felt as if it had been pulled out of my chest. Her expression was filled with pain, even though she tried to keep her composure. She pulled her hand out of mine forcefully and turned away from me, pulling the covers over her shoulders with her hand. Sitting there patiently, I waited for her to say something. Anything. But I received nothing.

She didn't say anything after that. She was as quiet as a deserted house. Even when Lissa came in to speak with her, she didn't make any movement or response. Before she left, she healed her as much as she could, but her leg still retained a little crack due to the fact that she had many injuries. As grateful as I was, I was more concerned about her emotional state than physical.

A few days later, the doctor came in and checked all of the machines that she was hooked up to. Once she scribbled some notes down on her clipboard, she smiled at Rose. "Rose, do you want to get some fresh air today?" she asked kindly.

Slowly, she shook her head twice and continued to stare at the blank wall. She was probably lost in her thoughts about the baby. I understand her loss. To lose something that we both had created from our love, it was not easy to deal with.

The doctor crossed her arms with a grin. "Well, sorry to say, Rose, but you're going to get that fresh air whether you like it or not," she said and turned to look at me, "Guardian Belikov, if you would please."

A nurse came in wheeling a wheelchair. Once they hooked her IV to the metal pole, they gave me instructions on how to wheel her around. As soon as they left, I walked around the bed and stood in front of her peripheral vision, making her look up at me slightly. I slid one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees, giving her a warning. When she didn't respond, I hoisted her up and gently down in the chair.

I wheeled her to the small park under the various trees planted near each other with a little trail leading into the mini-forest. Once we arrived at a place with a bench and a small waterfall, I locked the wheels and walked around, kneeling down in front of her. I grabbed both of her hands in mine, and she looked at me again.

I smiled softly. "Rose, aren't you going to complain about not being able to walk?" I joked with a chuckle. I was actually hoping that she would respond to anything I said.

When she refused to say anything, I moved one hand from hers and rested it on the side of her face. "How long is this going to go on?" I asked, becoming desperate. "How long is it going to take for us to talk things over?"

She bit her lip and turned her head. I decided to give her more time to heal.

I wondered how long she was going to be tortured. First it was Mason. Then it was the ghosts. Next was the shadow-sucking effect from her bond with Lissa. Now she lost our first child.

And she wasn't even in her twenties yet.

* * *

"She's all good to go. If anything happens, just bring her back here," the doctor said, folding the manila folder in her hand.

Rose sat on the edge of the bed in her normal clothes, ready to go. It's been two weeks since she has been back and still no word from her. If anything, I'd rather hear her make crude comments about the Queen, Adrian, or anyone for that matter.

When she left the room, I came over to her with her crutches. Hobbling to her feet, I held her up until she got used to using her walking aides. I walked right beside her in case she stumbles. And she nearly did quite a few times, probably because she hasn't been on her feet ever since coming back. Once we'd reached our room, I closed the door behind me and led her to the bathroom. They didn't have any showers in the hospital wing.

I turned on the water in the bathtub and let it run until it became warm. Putting the stopper in the drainer, the water filled up two-thirds of the tub before I shut it off. Turning to Rose, I slid off her jacket and paused for a moment, making her look at me.

"I hope you don't mind," I said.

She was still for a moment before shaking her head. No, she didn't mind. I undressed her and rested her crutches against the wall, carrying her to the bathtub. Once she was in, I rinsed and shampooed her hair, then washed her entire body. She was silent throughout the entire process, like always. After I got rid of all the soap, I wrapped one towel around her hair and another towel around her body. Hoisting her up into my arms, I took her to the bed and placed her there as I went into the closet to find her undergarments and pajamas.

When I came out, she was looking at the framed picture of us in Baia, our arms wrapped around each other and smiling like we were the happiest people in the world. I gave her a half-smile after I finished dressing her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw two plates on the desk with a post-it note on them. Walking over, I picked it up and it read: _In case you two were hungry. Lissa._

I took one plate over to her and unwrapped the plastic. When I lifted the fork of pasta to her lips, she turned her head.

"Rose," I said in a warning tone, "You're going to have to eat something." I didn't want her to starve herself to death over depression.

She didn't respond and continued staring at the closet.

Sighing, I lowered the fork. "I know you're still trying to get over the news, but starving yourself isn't going to make things better," I told her, hoping she'd get the message one way or another. "Please, you have to eat something."

After what seemed like eternity, she slowly turned her head back, and I lifted the fork back in front of her lips. She hesitated for a few seconds before opening her mouth and pulling the food from the fork. It was a start at least.

And then she broke down.

I immediately put away the plate as her tears cascaded down her face, and I pulled her to me tightly. Her shoulders shook with heavy sobs. I stroked her hair and murmured her name again and again in Russian.

"I'm sorry," she choked out hoarsely, gripping my shirt even tighter. I placed my hands on her shoulders and pulled away from her gently to look at her face as she hastily tried to wipe away and prevent more tears from falling.

I cupped her face in both of my hands and made her look up at me gently. "What do you have to be sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong," I said softly, hoping to soothe and comfort her.

She sniffed and closed her eyes to even her breathing. "I failed my mission. I lost our child," she said, her breathing becoming shaky again. "I feel like a failure. I feel like I'm suffocating from guilt, Dimitri."

I wiped a tear away from her face. "You didn't do anything wrong. Do you hear me? Nothing wrong. What happened to the child wasn't your fault," I countered.

She shook her head. "You don't understand," she said, gripping my shirt so hard her knuckles were turning pale white.

"Understand what?" I asked.

She bit her lower lip, releasing her hold on my shirt and resting them in her lap. Looking at them, she said, "When I first found out I was pregnant, I was happy. I know you wanted to have a baby to call your own, so I was going to surprise you on your birthday. But then, I started having doubts." She paused for a minute before continuing. "We both have our charges, and we're dedicated to protect them. And having a baby while on duty…well…it would just seem like a hassle. I didn't want to bring a child into this world where its parents are more focused on their jobs than paying attention to it. I didn't want to drop the child off at the academy and hardly visit it, like what my mom did."

I squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. To think she had gone through so much by herself tore me apart.

"I was indecisive. I wanted to have the baby, but at the same time I sort of didn't. And I-I think the baby heard my thoughts and decided for me," she said and tried to hold back more tears from falling but was unsuccessful. "If I'd known that you wanted it, I…things would've been different. I'm so sorry." She broke into another fit of sobs.

I kissed her head and placed her in my lap, wrapping my arms around her shaking figure. As she calmed down, I realized that she couldn't guard Lissa the way she was right now. She wasn't focused. And I knew what I had to do. The Queen owed me that much.

Once I placed her under the covers and promised her that I'd be back, I headed off towards the throne room where Tatiana was reading the daily newspaper. She was very narcissistic if you asked me. Upon hearing the doors open for me, she looked up and cast aside the sheets of papers.

"Guardian Belikov. I welcome you back," she said, a little smug.

I repressed my temper from her, keeping my composure. "I request that Rose and I take a leave of absence for two weeks to Russia," I said, ignoring her greeting.

Her face turned near crimson out of anger. "You will hold your tongue, Guardian Belikov. There is no way I'm going to allow you two to leave your charges for your own pleasures," she snapped.

"Excuse me, but have you seen Guardian Rose Belikov's current state?" I said, refraining from clenching my hands into fists.

She leaned back into the chair. "She seems pretty fine to me," she said nonchalantly.

"Were you aware that she has had a miscarriage?" I asked, my voice tight.

Her eyes widened, amused. "Well, I must say, I'm not surprised. I knew the day would come when she would find a Moroi male to play around wi-" she began.

"It was my child," I interrupted her.

She laughed. "Please, don't make me laugh. You, of all people, should know that Dhampirs can't have children with each other. What a joke," she said, fanning herself.

Priscilla Voda coughed to get her attention. "Actually, Your Majesty, the doctor in the hospital wing confirmed the DNA testing. The child was Rosemarie's and Dimitri's," she said in a low voice.

Tatiana's face flushed with fury at being proved wrong. Snapping her fan shut, she pointed at me. "In any case, I will not allow for you and Rosemarie to leave beyond Court borders. That is final," she said firmly, nearly growling at the end. Rose was right. She _was_ a real bitch.

I was about to open my mouth when someone interrupted me. "Let them go, Aunt Tatiana," Adrian said, coming in through the doors. His facial expression was filled with sympathy. How rare.

She gritted her teeth. "Adrian, you should be resting," she said just as he pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"Think of it this way. If it weren't for them, I'd probably be dead…or Strigoi. You owe them because I do," he said, lighting his stick of toxins.

She gripped her hand with the fan so tight that her fan snapped in half. "Very well," she grumbled, pouting like a five year-old who didn't get a puppy. "Your plane tickets will be available at the airport tomorrow morning under your name. Two weeks, Belikov. That's all."

"Thank you," I said, not bothering to attach her title. Before I left the room, Adrian held out a key for me. I looked at him as he dropped it into my hand.

"Take the M3," he said. "And tell her…tell her that I'm really sorry."

I placed the key in my pocket and looked straight into his eyes. "Go tell her. Don't tell me," I said and left the Moroi-filled room. As much as I would have liked to keep him away from her, I knew that he had problems that could only be sorted out by directly talking to her.

But that didn't mean I liked it.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R**

**NO. I repeat for the nth time, it is not over yet. **

**-Delicate**


	18. Bright Future

****

So, it's almost Christmas, which means that it's almost been a year since I've started this fanfic, which means I'm bringing this one to an end. :D

**This was pretty fun to write, but I just reread it and asked myself, "What the hell was I thinking??" Yeah, I left out some major parts, and some parts were even rushed. I **_**was**_** planning on rewriting it, but other users are currently using the same idea as I am, so I found rewriting this one to be pointless. **

**The good news that comes out of this is that I will start up a new AU fanfic, and I've got everything planned, but I'll update a few chapters on **_**Under The Stars**_** first.**

**So, thank you, everyone, for reading this fanfic! It meant a lot to me! :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Bright Future_

If anything changed, Rose finally found it in her to go outside and catch up with the world. She was always eager to get close to me. Not that I minded. But she still didn't talk to anyone yet.

"We are now landing at St. Petersburg. Please buckle your seatbelts. We will land momentarily," the pilot said through the intercom system.

Rose was resting her head on my shoulder as we held hands. Apparently, Adrian had said something along the lines of him being at fault for the fate of her unborn child and no longer pursuing her. To say I was a bit comforted was an understatement.

"Rose, let's get ready to leave the plane," I whispered, squeezing her hand lightly.

She sighed and nodded, bending down to pick up her little backpack filled with traveling items along with a silver stake just in case.

Slamming the taxi cab door shut, we walked up to the house and knocked twice.

My mom answered it and gasped. "Oh, Dimka! Roza!" she cried and flung her arms around both of us.

I kissed her cheek. "Hello, mother," I said. Rose just forced a smile.

She pulled back, wiping her tears with her apron. "Oh, don't stand out there. Come inside. Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" she asked, locking the door behind us.

"Grandmother didn't know?" I asked.

On cue, my grandmother came out looking as cranky as ever. "I knew, don't worry. I just didn't want to ruin the surprise," she said.

I rolled my eyes and hugged her lightly. Same old grandmother.

After she finished hugging Rose, she stared at the two of us seriously. "When are the grandchildren coming?" she asked sternly.

"Mother!" Olena scolded.

I anxiously turned to Rose and saw her biting her lower lip.

"Dimka! Roza!" Alina cheered, scampering down the stairs. Natalya gave us a nod and a small smile. Maybe she was finally getting the fact that she had a sister-in-law.

Olena saw the bags we were carrying. "Oh, you two must be tired. Why don't you rest up for a few hours? I'll call you down when it's dinner time," she said, motioning towards the stairs.

"Sure," we said and left everyone downstairs.

When I closed the door behind me, Rose was already under the covers, her eyes closed. Smiling, I placed the bags in front of the closet and slid in right next to her, wrapping my arms around her figure. In turn, she scooted closer to me and sighed.

I had a good feeling we would be missing dinner.

* * *

"Rose," I called softly, shaking her shoulder lightly.

She opened one eye slowly and looked up at me.

"Time to get up. Everyone went down to Oksana's place for the day, so we have the entire place to ourselves," I explained, pulling the covers off of us.

She reluctantly got up and trudged towards the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, she was staring out the window at the snow falling outside. Smiling, I handed her a thick jacket and beanie. Once she put them on, I took her hand and led her outside.

"The snow here is a lot better than in Montana," I said and fell flat on my back.

She looked at me questioningly.

Grinning, I said, "Let's leave our mark here like we did in Idaho."

She smiled slowly before falling down beside me. I was lost in my thoughts that I didn't see a kid bump into the tree next to us. The next thing I knew, a giant heap of snow had fallen on top of my face.

After sputtering and brushing the snow out of my eyes, Rose lifted her hand to her mouth slowly and bursted out laughing. My chest swelled up with relief.

"Oh, Dimitri," she said, trying to calm down.

I went over and wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Finally," I sighed.

I felt her smile against my shoulder. "Were you going to go insane if you didn't hear my voice?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Not really, no. I knew you had to talk sooner or later," I muttered.

"What was that?" she demanded.

But before she could move, I dropped into the snow, taking her down with me. And thus, it ensured a prolonged snowball fight.

* * *

**Four Years Later…**

We all stood around the white casket as it was lowered into the hole that had been dug up for her. All of the Royal and Nonroyal Moroi and Dhampir were dressed in black and had solemn looks on their faces.

The Priest was reading the letter. "She was loved by all and even hated by some. But nonetheless, she will stay in our hearts as we move on with the future. May she find peace," he said, thus adjourning the session.

I walked over to the refreshment table and took a sip of water when I felt a tug on my pants. I looked down and saw a girl with silky dark brown hair, matching eyes, and fair skin.

She had her finger near her mouth. "Daddy, when's mommy coming back?" she asked.

I knelt down and gave her a small smile. "You see, Alexandra, mommy's--" I began.

"Right here," a voice spoke as I saw a pair of well-toned legs appear behind my daughter.

Alexandra turned and squealed, "Mommy!"

Rose, dressed in a black skirt and matching dress shirt, scooped up Alexandra into her arms and kissed her forehead. "Hey, sweetheart. Sorry I've been away for so long," she apologized.

"Mommy, guess what?" she asked. "Andrew Dragomir said he had a crush on me! He's so cute!"

I shot my head up. "What?" I asked dangerously.

Rose caught the anger in my voice. "Uh, oh. Alex, why don't you go find Andrew and play with him? Mommy needs to calm down daddy," she said and put her down, allowing her to scamper away.

She pressed up against me and gave me a long, lingering kiss. "I'm back," she murmured, pulling away slowly.

I placed my hands on her hips. "I hope Switzerland wasn't too harsh on Lissa," I said. Rose had been away with Lissa and Eddie for democracy issues. Apparently, it had taken them five months just for us to become allies.

She laughed. "Actually, she had a better time than I did," she said. "But, too bad we weren't able to report it to Tatiana. Who would've thought she would've died in our absence."

I kissed her hair. "At least now Lissa gets to reign over the entire Moroi and Dhampir government," I replied.

She grinned slyly. "And I bet she won't let you get near Andrew when she finds out that you were told," she teased. Andrew was Lissa's and Christian's son. When they got married, Christian had decided to take Lissa's last name to carry on her generation.

I nipped her ear. "You're going to pay for not telling me this sooner," I mumbled.

"Oh, and how?" she challenged.

I slid my right hand to the edge of her shirt, tugging it lightly. "Just make sure you have Mia or Lissa take care of Alexandra for tonight," I warned, making her draw in a shaky breath.

"Doesn't sound much like a punishment," she whispered dryly.

I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Wait and see. Oh, and Roza?" I asked just as she turned to greet everyone.

She turned her head back to me. "Hmm?" she replied.

I smiled. "Don't expect to get any sleep tonight," I said.

* * *

**Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? R&R!**

**And thus, I conclude this story. Take note, I apologize for the rush. **

**-Delicate**


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